Members mourn loss of church after fire
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Members are mourning the loss of a church of more than a hundred years in the Columbus community.
Canaan Missionary Baptist Church on Bell Avenue caught fire Sunday afternoon.
“When I got here, the sanctuary was engulfed. I went home because I couldn’t take it anymore,” said Gwen Stovall, a member of Canaan of 4o years.
“It was like I was like losing a family member. It was like someone had died, a family member. There was nothing I could do,” said Laverne Greene-Leech, a member of Canaan of 60 years.
Broken glass and charred pieces of the roof are still scattered in the church parking lot from Sunday’s blaze.
Columbus Fire and Rescue got the call around 2:30 p.m.
“Call came in as a structure fire. Crews made it on scene about 2:34. Crews arrived on scene, and they saw heavy smoke coming from the roof,” said Jaquay Sherrod, the Public Information Officer for Columbus Fire and Rescue.
Sunday morning, members were worshipping in the sanctuary.
A few hours later, that same sanctuary stood in ruins.
Canaan Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1870 in the Sandfield Community.
The congregation originally met in a smaller building.
They moved into the current church in 1964.
Members said memories and church archives were also lost in the fire.
“The small things, the small things … I was thinking about the choir robes … like wow,” said Stovall.
“I played the piano, the organ. All that is just gone,” said Diannia Beard, a member of Canaan of 50 years.
Canaan said the fire began in the sanctuary and spread quickly to the attic and other spaces.
CFR said they brought four or five trucks to put out the flames.
“When I got here, I saw the flames and the smoke, and my heart just dropped to the ground,” said Leech.
Many members said they first heard of the fire through Facebook live.
They are now looking for a new place to worship.
Though they have to rebuild, the congregation remains hopeful.
“Right now, we don’t really know where we are headed, but we know that it’s in God’s hands. God is in control,” said Beard.
“And we have to keep our eye on the cross that’s on top of the church because it’s all about Jesus,” said Leech.
CFR said Canaan suffered major smoke and fire damage.
The cause has not yet been identified.
The case is still under investigation.
