The Rev. David George, pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Sulphur, Oklahoma, arrived at the church Saturday morning, October 12, as firefighters were extinguishing the last of the flames from a fire that had engulfed the church.<\/p>\n
The fire department had been notified of the fire by a call at 5:52 a.m. Once the fire was contained, George said he observed extensive damage to the education wing and fellowship hall, and other signs of intense heat and smoke damage in the sanctuary, kitchen and narthex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe surprise,\u201d George recalled, \u201cwas when a young man came out of the trees behind the church and confessed in front of several of us that he had done it probably had broken into the church the night before, or even maybe the night before that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unnamed suspect was taken into custody by a sheriff\u2019s deputy and, as of this writing, is still awaiting charges.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I have concerns for the community that if it happened once, it can happen again,\u201d said George adding the suspect is \u201cprobably in what I would think would be more of an unstable position. I mean anybody that’s burning some things down, particularly churches, has other issues. Something’s going on. Something’s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked by the District Attorney what the church wanted, George responded he wanted the suspect to get the help they need and for all the churches in the community to be safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s above my pay grade to decide what that means,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we certainly need to be able to feel at least some sense of safety in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The safety of the community isn\u2019t an idle thought for George. This year, an EF-3 tornado ravaged the town leaving one person dead, more than 30 people injured and a path of destruction that damaged 200 buildings, with 70 buildings counted as total losses.<\/p>\n
Shepherd of the Hills sits a few miles from downtown and was unaffected by the tornado but the congregation sprang into action to help its neighbors as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part of our work was simply finding the people who had immediate needs and being able to give them a gift card [of $250],\u201d said George, adding some families received multiple gift cards based on their need. \u201cI\u2019m guessing we had people give over 40,000, maybe even $50,000 through the process\u2026 It was a very powerful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Rev. Kathy Lee-Cornell, director of partnerships for disaster recovery in the Synod of the Sun, said Shepherd of the Hills members were \u201ca lifeline to their neighbors\u201d during the tornado recovery efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our callings is to point people toward hope,\u201d Lee-Cornell said. \u201cI know the church has connections that open opportunities for others to care for a community that has cared so much for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that end, a recent $1,500 collection taken by the Korean Presbyterian Church in Lawton, Okla., in gratitude for assistance received when its building was damaged by straight line winds, is being directed toward Shepherd of the Hills.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a small gift that shows the connections of the Presbyterian Church,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The tornado relief assistance was a joint effort of the synod, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Presbytery of Indian Nations in cooperation with the congregation, said the Rev. Dr. Charles Smith, interim presbytery pastor for Indian Nations Presbytery.<\/p>\n
\u201cShepherd of the Hills has a very committed core group of saints that knows what it means to work in mission and outreach,\u201d he said. \u201cThey not only provided financial help, but helped with school supplies and other daily needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
When other area churches heard about the arson at Shepherd of the Hills, they sprang into action reaching out to offer support and facilities use. When the congregation gathered for worship outside their burned building on Sunday, October 13, a nearby Baptist church sent their choir to share music. Following the service, the youth group from the Church of Christ congregation across the street brought food.<\/p>\n
The church has secured meeting space at the Murray County Expo Center and began holding services there on October 20.<\/p>\n
George estimates it may take 18 months to clean, restore and rebuild the church. Insurance adjusters have already been on site and the work of assessing the scope of the damage is nearly complete. The destruction is a mixed blessing as the church has experience recent growth and was considering reconfiguring or adding to its now destroyed education space. The reconstruction will allow those plans to come to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings are going to get rebuilt,\u201d George said. \u201cWe’re going to have a time where it’s going to be inconvenient, but God is with us and we’re going move forward. The church members are as determined as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n