The Grace Brethren Church of Rittman, Ohio, (Bud Olszewski, pastor) experienced a “fire incident” last week. Like the Lititz church’s experience earlier, it was discovered quickly and no people were harmed, but it’s causing inconvenience. Here is a brief report from pastor Bud.
“Our people exited the church saying ‘Holy smoke!’
“We experienced a fire in the first-floor ladies room, about 15 feet from our sanctuary. The service was about 15 minutes old when it was discovered.
“We were able to empty the church in a minute or less. The worst of the problem was the incredible amount of smoke. It filled our building thickly.
“The fire department did a nice job of keeping everything else clean. Our guys got the problem under control rapidly, so the damage was minimal.
“The insurance company has approved a wonderful restoration company. They have been most helpful. The Investigator has concluded the exact cause will be known to God alone.
“All the right stuff is happening. At this moment, an ozone treatment is in process. This will remove the smoke damage, but we are unable to go into the church until Thursday afternoon. We will be cleaned up for Sunday services, and will be remodeled by the following Sunday.
“Overall, we were blessed by God and protected from far greater problems. I have concluded that I should not speak on: ‘Peace in spite of panic’!”
