Cherry Hill church a 'total loss' after overnight fire

[Stan]

As members of the Cherry Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church began learning today of the overnight fire that destroyed their center of worship, the church's pastor vowed to hold regular services this Saturday and to work to rebuild.

Reached by telephone, Pastor T. DuWayne Privette said he was visiting family this week in Ohio when he got word about 4 a.m. this morning that his church had burned to the ground. He's been in touch with other church officials, booked a 1 p.m. flight back to Baltimore, and talked to the insurance company that covered the church property, in the 2800 block of Joplea Road.

The church didn't have any planned services for today or tomorrow, Christmas Day. But he said he hopes another church is willing to open its doors to help them hold their regular service this Saturday.

"Pending that the Lord opens up a church for us, we will be in worship service," Privette said. "Just to give everybody an opportunity to come together and worship in a time of crisis. It's very important we have a church on Saturday. But whether we have a church or not, we're going to worship."

[Marie]

There is a reason for everything Stan. We don't know what it is, but satan must be angry about something. God's blessings in your rebuilding. Marie

[JoyceGriffith]

Church headquarters for the British Union went up in flames on November 17. Within a few days the headquarters for the Upper Columbia Conference were demolished, and the beautiful Cherry Hill church in Maryland burned to the ground. I don't want to read anything into these three events, but I hope the church will be honest and open in sharing with members any details that come to light in the investigations about how these fires happened.