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January 15, 2010

RICH FLOWERS: Churches rise above the rubble

The members of three Athens churches will meet in slightly different surroundings than they’re used to Sunday.

The Athens-area churches have each been victimized by arson since Jan. 1. The first, Faith Church on Mission Street was burned between 9 a.m. and noon on New Years Day. This week, the second and third blazes erupted within a 2-hour span, beginning with Grace Community Church at 10:30 p.m. Monday, followed by Lake Athens Baptist Church, shortly after midnight.

For the Faith Church, Grace Community and Lake Athens Baptist congregations, the buildings where they used to meet are now scorched shells. The rooms they once referred to as sanctuaries were, when the smoke cleared, just structures of wood and steel. The churches are alive and well.

On Wednesday pastors from several area churches were joined by and other church members as they met with police and fire officials at the Athens First Baptist Church Re-creation Outreach Center. Much of the discussion centered around how to protect their property. The ministers present were at a loss to explain why someone would seek to destroy, what through their hard earned tithes and offerings, had labored to build.

Police and fire officials had no answers to the why question. They know all too well that the actions of some people are unexplainable. Were the crimes the acts of burglars who were willing to cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to cover their tracks? Or, was arson the ultimate aim of the intruders? Was it done for spite, or simply for a few laughs? As long as the firestarters are phantoms in the wind, the motive will remain a mystery.

The public servants at the ROC fielded several questions about what the churches could do to prevent future “attacks.” Would it be wise for church members to camp out in their houses of worship to ward off would-be burglars? What about fire arms? Should the watchman come locked and loaded?

Soon, the tone of the meeting changed. They remembered that someone else is watching over the churches; that nothing happens outside of God’s sight. They remembered that God is the ultimate purveyor of justice, but also the ultimate source of forgiveness.

You see, as I understand the Bible, God sent his son Jesus Christ into the world to show us that while we were sinful, rebellious creatures, he was willing to die for us. The churches are not the buildings in which they meet, but rather a collection of individuals who believe and are willing to share that story.

The pastors of the damaged churches, Leon Wallace of Faith Church, Shane Barnes of Grace Community and John Green of Lake Athens Baptist know this. The sight of their places of worship in flames left them shaken, but not defeated. There was never any question about whether their churches would pick up the pieces and carry on and that something good would come of the devastation brought about by the arsonists. After all, Isaiah 61:3 says God gives beauty in place of ashes.

Rich Flowers is the news editor at the Athens Review. He can be reached at news2@athensreview.com.

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