A gas line was hit by workers digging in the area, dispatchers said. When Pastor Scott Wisniewski drove up to the church, he said all he saw were flames.
“It was just shock that what I was seeing was really happening,” Wisniewski said. “…It was just surreal to realize all we had worked for was gone.”
Nobody was in the church at the time, he said.
“Several of our members had planned to be there that day but all of them had things that came up at the last minute that diverted their plans.”
Before the shock of the explosion could wear off, Wisniewski said he began getting phone calls from local churches and community members, asking how they could help.
Within 24 hours, donated items began rolling in, he said.
A Bellefontaine man offered to let the church use a vacant space he owns at 212 East Columbus Avenue. Chairs were donated by Union Station of Logan County, he said. Other churches donated hymn books, a pulpit and a piano.
“The response form the community has been overwhelming,” Wisniewski said. “I can’t begin to thank everybody and show the gratitude for their response.”
The response was so great that the church was able to hold service on Sunday in their temporary location.
Harper Community Church donated dividing walls for the children’s Sunday school room.
“There was no question about whether we would help or not,” Harper Community Church Pastor Ed Spragen said. “When we were asked, it was a definite yes we can donate whatever they need.”
Each church is connected to each other, he said.
“To us that didn’t seem like much, but to them it made a great deal of a difference for them,” he said, “so we were just happy we could do it.”
It’s early in the planning process, Wisniewski said, but he does want to rebuild in the same location.
“We’re not going to allow this to stop us,” he said.
The church still plans to volunteer and hand out free water bottles at the Logan County Fair next month, he said.
An online fundraising account has been created for the church and had raised over $5,000 as of Monday evening. More information about the church can be found on their Facebook page: Hi-Point Free Will Baptist Church.
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