Local church faces rebuild after fire and possible break-in devastate congregation – WSYX

Local church faces rebuild after fire and possible break-in devastate congregation  WSYX

A Columbus area church community is working to move forward after a fire destroyed their beloved place of worship. Firefighters responded to Columbus United Baptist Church off Taylor Road at 12:30 a.m. early Thursday morning and worked to put out the flames for nearly two hours. “I would like everyone to remember us in prayer. We really need it, because it is very traumatic,” said Beverly Thompson. Beverly Thompson, who is pastor Jimmy Thompson’s wife, said concerns began hours before the fire when she and her husband discovered a possible break-in at the building. She said they visited the church Wednesday around noon to install a new water softener system.

“There had been a break-in between Sunday night and Wednesday. About noon, when we arrived to put in a new softener system here at the church, we noticed that there was water running down the front steps here and that there was a broken window in one of the lower windows there,” said Thompson. Pastor Jimmy Thompson also said lights had been turned on throughout the church and pop cans were also found on the floor. She added, “Jim went in and made sure no one was in there and we called the police. That in itself was trying and scary.” Thompson said she was devastated when she got the