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East Side church destroyed by fire
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Surveying his ruined church Monday morning, Bishop Chorrethers Jenkins was at a loss for words.
The pastor of Grace Temple Evangelistic Ministries for the past 20 years, he was accompanied by church members who watched as firefighters doused hot spots at the church at Shehy and Forest avenues.
The church was destroyed after a fire broke out at the house next door about 3 a.m. and spread to the roof of the church.
“At this moment, nothing’s going through my mind. I’m numb,” Bishop Jenkins said. “I know how to preach. I don’t know how to build. Right now, I’m saying, ‘Lord, you have to do this.’”
The flames from the house next door spread to the eaves of the sacristy of the church, said fire Chief John O’Neill. He said firefighters were inside trying to fight the flames. The building dates to 1902, according to the cornerstone. But the flames broke through the roof, and crews had to be pulled out, leaving some of their equipment inside.
About 10 minutes after the firefighters were pulled out, the walls collapsed. All that was left Monday morning were some of the walls.
“They [flames] broke completely through over their heads, and we had to pull them out,” O’Neill said.
James Carter was one of the church members who was watching firefighters work from across the street. He said “mixed emotions” were going through his mind.
“I also know God always has a plan,” said Carter, who has been a member of the church for 10 years. “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.”
Ronda Johnson said she has been a church member for three years and she said that though the fire was disappointing, her faith tells her that God is still working. She said she especially thought of the sermon she heard just less than 24 hours before in the church from Jenkins.
“We talked about how you never know where your blessing is coming from,” Johnson said. “I just believe if he [God] took this building away, he must have something better planned.”
Johnson said she wanted to show support for her pastor, which is why she came by Monday. She said she will be getting married at the church next year.
Bishop Jenkins lives next door to the church and was awakened by a knock on his door and saw flames coming out of the roof of the church. He said firefighters did their best to save as much of the church as they could, but the flames were just too intense.
O’Neill said at first, investigators thought the home next to the church, where the fire broke out, was vacant. But they later found out someone lives there. They were trying to track that person down Monday. That home already was fully consumed by flames by the time the first firefighters arrived, O’Neill said. A cause has not yet been established.
Bishop Jenkins said that for the time being, the church will meet in a tent as they work on plans to figure out what to do next.
Carter said the church was more than a building.
“This is my home,” Carter said. “I spent time here. I helped build a lot of things that were in there. I have a lot of memories in this church. It’s home.”
Firefighters also responded to a fire at a duplex in the 2100 block of Rush Boulevard about 5:40 a.m. Monday in which a fire started in one of the units on the second floor. The woman who lives there was at work at the time, and there were no injuries. A fire-department spokesman said the cause is under investigation.