Church tries to decide on its next step
By John Joyce
Published in News on October 27, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus file photo
An Oct. 12 fire left the Salisbury AME Zion Church congregation without a sanctuary and having to start over.
With its church destroyed by fire for the second time in 77 years, a Wayne County pastor is looking for a new pasture for her flock.
Salisbury AME Zion Church, located at 3948 Big Daddy's Road, burned to the ground earlier this month after an apparent lightning strike.
The church pastor, the Rev. Carol Robins, said the next day she was not sure what the future held for her congregation, but that the loss of the building would not cripple the church's faithful.
Now, with an outpouring of support from the community, the decision either to rebuild or to relocate is becoming more difficult.
"We are in the process of discussing our options. No decisions has been made yet," church member Janice Hobbs said.
Mrs. Hobbs, serving as impromptu communications director for the church's board of trustees, said the fire must have started in the middle of the church and burned for a while before becoming visible to cars passing by on Big Daddy's Road Oct. 12.
It was about 10 p.m. when a driver saw the flames and called for help.
The church was a total loss.
The next morning, members of the church trickled by a few at a time to see the damage done to the church, which has been located on that small piece of land since 1937.
Since that time, other area churches have been inviting the displaced congregation to attend services. Some have traveled to the AME Zion Church in Saratoga.
"We've been attending services and doing some fellowship with other churches," trustee Evon Waters said.
A BB&T bank account in the name of Salisbury AME Zion Church has been established to receive monetary donations.
The church not only lost its building but all of its contents as well, Mrs. Waters said.
"We lost everything from the furniture, to kitchen equipment, down to the hymn books," she said.
She equated learning of the church having burned down to receiving news of a death in the family.
"We have to do everything now, everything is gone. We are starting back from zero," she said.
The church will continue to meet and to discuss plans for its future.
Written requests for information on how to help out, what the congregation's needs are or to learn more about the options being discussed, can be sent to Salisbury AME Zion Church at P.O. Box 942, Fremont, N.C., 27830.