Four Ways God Used a Church Fire for Good
“On November 1, 2022, our church building burned down. Not one part was salvageable. The fire swept through the attic at astonishing speed. Not a single notepad or paper clip remained.” - 9 Marks
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Sometimes these things are completely random, and sometimes they are very predictable. I remember one time a deacon at my former church asked me about the large stash of old VBS decorations in the attic, and I told him I thought it was a fire hazard. Next weekend when I came by to mow, there he was with a 28' trailer removing all that. He did well. Once a fire starts in the attic, the building is generally pretty much done.
In another case, I saw paint being stored right by the electrical panel. That also got moved when we pointed out that this has been prohibited by code since (no kidding) 1899, and nobody wants a firefighter to need to deal with both smoke and fire, and also electrical power and exploding paint cans.
Long and short of it is that if you want to take care of the resources God has given your church, take fire safety (and other safety) seriously. Doors should not be blocked to get a few more chairs in a classroom. Be careful about what you store and where--a lot of churches store a lot of things that will only be discarded a few years later (or will be great kindling). Don't allow amateurs to do your wiring, HVAC, or plumbing.
No idea over whether this church's fire was predictable or not, but as a rule, churches can do better in how they handle these things.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
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