By Rick Wolcott*

“It’s something you never want to hear or think you will hear.  ‘Our church is on fire!’” Rev. Paula Marbury said of the call she received on Thursday, February 1 letting her know that Keene UMC (South Forest District) was in flames.

“To rush across the street only to see thick black smoke filling the grand hallway with no way to get in or stop the fire, all the air goes out of your lungs. The unbelievable is taking place before your eyes,” Marbury said.

“What blessings on earth can possibly come from this? God’s family coming together for each other. Neighbors of Keene UMC filled the streets and filled the church yard. All coming together to hold each other and to pray with each other! Trusting that the God who created the universe has hold of us,” Marbury shared. “The connection is alive and well as sister churches reach out to the Body of Christ at Keene and place us on their prayer chains. We are a thankful people even in the midst of the destruction.”

Tanker trucks from nearly a dozen fire companies responded, transporting water from Lake Park to spray on the burning church building that sits on top of the hill in the center of Keene. Thankfully, no one was physically injured by the fire – but its smoke and flames have left an indelible impact on the congregation and the community.

The people of Southington, 111 miles to the northeast of Keene, share in their pain. On Sunday, January 21 Southington UMC (Central Valley District) caught fire. Thankfully, the last of the worshippers were already out of the building when flames broke through the roof.

“I was just sitting down to relax, and the phone rang, ‘Pastor John the church is on fire!’” said Pastor John Bramley. “I jumped back in the car for the hour trip to the church. When I arrived, I felt a great sense of loss as if I had lost a member of the family. The congregation was notified through our prayer chain, and shortly after people showed up to see how they could help.”

In the aftermath of the fires, Southington UMC and Keene UMC continue to minister to their communities, but in new ways – and with new partners. Flames did not touch either sanctuary, but both sustained smoke damage and cannot be used while restoration companies work to repair the buildings. The congregation of Southington UMC is temporarily worshipping six miles to the south at Braceville UMC, while the Keene Grange has opened its doors for Keene UMC worship services for the next few weeks.

The Connection of The United Methodist Church

There is beauty and strength in the connection of The United Methodist Church; congregations walking with and serving with one another – being the Body of Christ in their communities and around the world – in good times and bad.

“I am grateful to be reminded on a daily basis of how God works in and through this covenant community called The United Methodist Church. The grace of God flows through our structure in our relationships with one another through this beautiful thing we call ‘connectionalism,’” said Rev. Cara Stultz Costello, superintendent of the Central Valley District. “I worshipped with the Southington United Methodist Church the Sunday after the fire. The Braceville United Methodist Church extended warm welcome to the Southington community. There was a tangible sense of welcome and relief for this church community to be able to gather and give thanks to God for bringing them through.” 

Rev. Deb Quillen and the congregation of Coshocton Grace UMC (South Forest District) know first-hand about the power of The UMC connection and the nauseating feeling of seeing their church in flames. A lightning strike on May 20, 2022, started a fire that caused extensive damage to the church including the loss of its sanctuary, chapel, parlor, conference room, and fellowship hall.

“In the midst of the devastation and loss, Grace has been blessed by the outreach of churches locally and across our denomination. Every local church reached out to us offering a space to come and worship,” Quillen said this week. “For months following the fire, we received notes of encouragement from other United Methodist churches. Some of those churches experienced fires and wanted to let us know that the journey to rebuild is not easy and can be a long process. Other churches reached out just because they had heard about our fire and wanted us to know we were held in prayer.”

The Coshocton community that has rallied around the Grace UMC congregation is doing the same for the folks of Keene UMC, its neighbor to the north. And both churches are being cared for in part by South Forest District Superintendent the Rev. Kelly Brown.

“It is difficult to put into words the emotions of these events. In both cases, I found out about the church fires through phone communication. I always thought that church fires were rare and in May of 2022 when there was a fire at Coshocton Grace, I was glad for their rarity because of how devastating it was emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually. I was very surprised when I received the call about the Keene UMC fire. I couldn’t believe two churches so close geographically would experience the same tragedy in such a short time. After the initial shock and emotion, I have experienced an inspiring story of strength, resilience, and faithfulness from both congregations,” Brown said.

“The congregations give thanks in the midst of tragedy and have not let the loss or damage of their buildings define their witness and future. It is also a time when the strength of the United Methodist connection shined brightest as the churches received prayers, communication, and support from many places in East Ohio and beyond. Now, as both churches begin and continue to rebuild, they can lean on each other’s shared experience and be a witness to the community that there is hope, and that a tragic event does not have the last word,” Brown shared.

“Southington UMC has felt the power of The United Methodist Church connection in several ways,” Bramley said. “The support and presence we have felt from both of our district superintendents has ministered to us. The support from the Conference office has also been appreciated. We don’t feel like a Lone Ranger church. We have partners to walk beside us as we reflect, restore, and rebuild our church.”

From Loss Comes New Life

Bramley shared that worshipping at Braceville UMC the past two weeks has provided an unexpected opportunity with their host congregation.

“We were already planning an Ash Wednesday service. Braceville UMC hasn’t had one in years. So, as our members talked, we decided to have a joint Ash Wednesday service. One service for both congregations at both churches,” he said. “This year on Ash Wednesday we will again be reminded of our mortality, our weaknesses, and our sin, however this year we will also be reminded of the power of our faith, grace and the power of our United Methodist connection.”

*Rick Wolcott is executive director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.