The Ohio Independent Baptist, March 1968

ent estroye The following is a newspaper account th ~t appeared in the Record-Courier con· cerning the fire which completely destroyed the Grace Baptist Church building of Kent , Oh io This was on Tuesday, December 19th. Seen along with this article are pictures showing something of the devastation wrought. In a recent letter, we learned that $71,000 worth of paneling had been de– livered to the church the day before it was burned! Several churches and a few individuals have sent offerings to these folk at Kent to help them rebuild. They stand in need of further help! The church is without a pastor. Our brother, Rev. Howard Street of Baptist Mid– Missions and a veteran missionary to the African Congo, has agreed to be the church's regular pulpit supply while he is at home on furlough. Place these folk on your prayer list as they begin again the work of erecting an– other building! Any monetary gifts should be sent to the Grace Baptist Church cl o Mr. Glen Trowbridge, 4459 Stow Road, Slow, Ohio - 44224. By BOB PAGE ''And 1rve kno1rv that all things work together for good to thern that love God, to the,n who are the called ac– cording to His purpose ." R om. 8: 28. Thi is the foundation for the faith and hope which still lingers in the heart and mind of the 65 members of the Grace Baptist Church of Kent after their new $45 ,000 structure was de troyed by fire Tuesday night. In a meeting of church members Wednesday night, the decision was made to review the church plans and proceed with its rebuilding as fast as pos ible. urc ire! Charred Ruins '·Their (the members) attitude was very wholesome. Frankly it was al– ma t unbeliev,able," said Clarence Cronbaugh, a member of the church board of deacons. A meeting has been scheduled for Saturday morning at which time some minor changes will be discussed in the rebuilding and plans will be made to start all o,ver again. Alth,ough tihe members who have worked so hard to erect the new church were deeply discouraged by the fire, their wounds are healing rapidly, according to Cronbaugh. The church was undergoing finish– ing touches £or its opening in Febru– ary when the fatal blaze occurred. Only erection of wood paneling, in– stallation of toilet fixtures and con– nection of boiler fixture remained to complete the new facility. And we'll send Gospels on to the millions of Spain who have no missionaries and no Bibles, but are shaking off centuries of darkness, and asking for the Light. A Spanish evangelical minister told PTL that there are 3 million people in his province, but only 5,000 evangelicals. He asked for 1 mill ion Gospels of John for Spain. What shall we rlo ? Shall we give them the Word? We are w~iting to hear from youl J. Edward Smith, lnternatlonal Director Alfred A. Kunz, International Director Emeritus • POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE 49 Honeck Street, Englewood, New Jersey 07631, Canada: 74 Crescent Road, Toronto 5, Ontario " It 's l1ccn a 1<11 ()f fltn ,l1ttl tt l<ll <lf ~~ wr>1 k, • c·, (1nhat1gh sai{I in lc1oking l1,1ck on the hundreds ol hours \pe11t by member in con tructing in,terior fixture for the church. "Most mem– bers are wondering what rea on the Lord had in thi and what lesson the Lord had for u in the fire," he added. The church, which first was or- ganized in April of 1964, has fought a hard road to success. It currently i without a pastor which in many ways has added to its woes. Six f am.ilies from the Graham Rd. J Baptist Church in Cuyahoga Falls initiated the church in Kent. It's only , pa tor has been Rev. Glen Crabb who ., . left in January to enter the Navy chaplaincy. The infant church first met in Univer ity School. It later began holding services in Central School, its present location. From the six familie has sprouted a congregation \ which sometimes numbers more than 100. Nothing But Ashes According to Brady Lake Fire Chief Bill Harris, it took only 20 minutes for fire to destroy the wood framed structure. ' We were called at 7: 20 p.m.,' ' Harris recalled. "Within 20 miout~ after we arrived, everything was pretty well gone." Source of the fire still is a big question. Rumor persist of arson, a g·a leak and an 1 overheated stove All are theories which haven't yet been proven. Church members were trying tc piece the epi ode back together at their meeting Wednesday. One mem· ber said he checked the stove at 5: 3( p.m. and it was nearly out. He sai( the top of the stove was cool enougl that his hand couId be placed upon it Another church member aid h< drove pa t the churoh at 7: 15 and ht saw nothing unusual. When he drov< by five minutes later the church wa• enveloped in flames, however. THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIS

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