The ministry center of Connections Christian Reformed Church in London, Ontario, burned down on March 27, just a week after finishing touches were put on renovations.
Leaders and members are working through their grief to try to see the event as a turning point and a refining agent for their church community.
The church, which meets for worship in a local movie theater, renovated a large warehouse into a ministry center with offices, meeting rooms, a kitchen, and other space that could be used to help the church grow, said Rev. George Saylor, pastor of the church.
“We moved in late in January. We had just finished decorating and furnishing the week before,” he said.
At four a.m. on March 27, police called Saylor to tell him that the building that housed the ministry center and two London businesses “was engulfed in flames.”
No one was hurt in the fire, which appears to have been started by a block heater in a vehicle parked near the building.
In his blog, Saylor noted to members of his church, “Nothing is left. Nothing can be salvaged. We will not even be allowed to walk through the ashes. But I can tell you that God is good!”
About the Author
Anita Brinkman is a freelance news correspondent for The Banner. She lives in Chatham, Ontario.
