Church members at the site of where the Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church building burned this past weekend. From left, Klegg Jeffreys, Deacon Gary Jones, Minister Tyler Bunt and church member Rodney Buchanan.
NATURAL BRIDGE - Members of Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, a congregation dating back over 90 years at the site of the former King Schoolhouse, have been displaced after a raging blaze believed to have been sparked by lightning destroyed the church building Saturday, June 7.
The three-alarm fire brought response from Lynn, Delmar and Double Springs fire departments to the church building, located on County Road 357, with flames reducing the older wooden structure to rubble and debris, indicated Winston County Emergency Management Director A.J. Brown.
The Alabama Fire Marshal was on the scene investigating the fire Monday, June 9, while church members gathered to discuss possible rebuilding plans.
Brown commended the efforts of the three responding fire departments to rapidly respond, but the blaze had already spread out of control, authorities said.
The fire was reported after a severe storm brought intense lightning, torrential rain and high winds to the area Saturday afternoon, Brown said.
After firefighters applied water on the main blaze, they were called back Sunday to a rekindle, with hot spots still burning in the rubble and debris on Monday.
“I feel fairly confident it’s going to be lightning or an electrical surge caused it,” Brown confirmed.
Church needing donations
The church is welcoming any donations, especially since they do not have insurance.
A GoFundMe account has been set up online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-mt-vernon-missionary-baptist-church.
An account has also been set up to collect donations at BankFirst, added Tyler Bunt, minister at Mt. Vernon.
“Without any help, we don’t have enough funds or enough access to funds to build,” Church Deacon Gary Jones noted. “We have no insurance.”
See complete story in the Northwest Alabamian.
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