02 Jun More Info on the Fire at Jerusalem Chapel

Here is some more information regarding the fire that struck Jerusalem Chapel UB on Thursday, May 29. Jerusalem Chapel is a congregation with an attendance of 375 located near Churchville, Va.

• The oldest part of the church, including the sanctuary and Sunday school area, is what burned. Firefighters took a stand to protect the new sanctuary at a firewall between it and the already-engulfed oldest portion of the structure. The new sanctuary was built in 1990.
• Jerusalem Chapel held its usual two morning worship services on the Sunday after the fire, but Sunday school was canceled. Projected on a screen above the pulpit were the words: “We praise God that we are able to worship today in this sanctuary.”
• Congregation members Mitch Acord and Craig Smith were praying in the church about 5:30 a.m.–a regular ritual–when they heard a crackle. When they investigated and smelled smoke, they called the fire department.
• At the time of the fire, Pastor Dennis and Annette Sites were returning from Alaska, where a daughter has been serving as a missionary. They learned about the fire from their daughter Tabitha, back in Virginia, who called them in Denver.
• The damage is estimated at $750,000. The church is insured for $2 million.
• Investigators pinpointed decades-old wiring as the cause. They think a wire running from underneath a floorboard to the attic burned through its coating, and shorted after brushing up against a nail or another wire.
• The church dates back to around 1902, though a church has occupied that site since the 1850s.

02 Jun Baltimore, Md: UB Lighthouse

In April, the Brooklyn Park UB church (Baltimore, Md.) opened what they call the UB Lighthouse After School program. Pastor John Christophel (right) wrote on May 8 concerning the first month of operation, “To this point we have had 18 different young people come through our doors. We are helping these young people with homework and learn new recreational skills, and are planting seeds of God’s love in their lives. Of these children, 90% do not attend our church or any other church. We have made new connections with a number of their parents on a weekly social level. God is truly beginning to bless this wonderful ministry.
“I tried to help our church family understand that the best way to move from a struggling church to a strong effective church is by stepping out and caring for those in need. I said that God would bring in those who needed saved when we stopped focusing on our current condition and started caring more about the condition of those who were lost.
“God has begun to honor our new efforts. In the past week we have helped lead four people to the Lord and had five new visitors in the past month have rededicated their lives to the Lord. That is nine transformed souls for the Kingdom of God. Six individuals who have been coming since January have decided to become official members of the church. Our Sunday evening service has grown from the five we have had for the past year to an average of 16. It is now a praise and celebration service.”

30 May Pleasant Hill UB Rebuilds After 2005 Fire

A dedication service was held May 7 for the new Pleasant Hill UB church, located in the small community of Mount Pleasant about ten miles outside of Muncie, Ind. On May 1, 2005, a fire destroyed the old portion of the church and the sanctuary suffered severe water and smoke damage.
Pleasant Hill dates back to 1835, when informal meetings were held. The first church was a log building located near the present church site; a new church was built there in 1860.

The building which burned in 2005.

When the denomination divided in 1889, the people followed the leadership of Bishop Milton Wright in leaving the main church body. In the process, they, like many other such congregations, lost their building. They held meetings in a sawmill until a new church could be erected in 1892. The church, according to its history, was dedicated debt-free.
A room was added around 1915. Sometime later a small basement was dug, and it was expanded to a full basement in 1957. The original belfry was replaced with a new one in 1963. Men and women always sat on opposite sites of the church. That tradition ended following the marriage of Paul and Minnie Huffman, who insisted on sitting together.
Dr. Ray Seilhamer held revival services at Pleasant Hill in 1976. Afterwards, the congregation decided to build a new sanctuary and fellowship hall.

30 May A Joint UB and Wesleyan Church Plant

The Sunfield UB Church (Sunfield, Mich.) and Impact Weslyan Church of Lowell, Mich., are partnering to start a church in Portland, Mich. The launch will be on October 6.
Mark Ralph (right), pastor of Sunfield UB, writes, “Recently, we negotiated with an American Legion Hall to take over their utility bills and fix the place up and also to cover all insurance costs. The location is right off I-96 between Lansing and Grand Rapids. Already there is a buzz going on in Portland about this new church plant. We covet your prayers as a Wesleyan Church and UB church work together to build the Kingdom.”

27 May Update on the Jerusalem Chapel Fire

On Thursday morning, a fire struck the Jerusalem Chapel UB church in Churchville, Va. The old sanctuary, which goes back over 100 years, and Sunday school facilities were destroyed, causing about $750,l000 of damage. The fire is being blamed on faulty wiring.

Here is a local news report about the fire and the church:

• Church and Faith Rebuilds at Burned Church

25 May Jerusalem Chapel Struck by Fire

About 5:30 this morning (May 25), a fire was discovered in the “old” section of Jerusalem Chapel in Churchville, Va. The old chapel and Christian education wing in that facility were a total loss. The new sanctuary, offices, fellowship hall, and classrooms appear to be fine, except for some possible smoke damage. It is suspected that an electrical short in the old sanctuary caused the fire.
Pastor Denny Sites (right), who has been in Denver but is flying back this morning, sent an email to Bishop Ron Ramsey about the fire. He reported, “The fire was discovered by a couple of faithful prayer warriors that daily go to the church to pray about 5:00 a.m. They called the local fire department and made the staff aware of the situation. We are grateful for such prayer warriors and their dedication to prayerfully keep the needs of the church family and community before the Lord, and who have now been the intercessors in sparing part of our worship facility.”
Denny says the trustees and associate pastors are supervising the emergency measures, along with the help of eight local fire departments.