KNOE-TV; TV8; Monroe News; KNOE.com |West Monroe church burns down

West Monroe church burns down

WEST MONROE (KNOE 8 News) - Ray Parker woke up around 5 a.m. Wednesday to find the Community of Christ Church, across the street from his house, in flames.

"It was leaping pretty good in the back of the church," he said, "it was just a big ball of fire."

Parker watched as 3 Ouachita Parish and 2 West Monroe fire trucks rolled up minutes after a neighbor called 9-1-1.  They were able to contain the fire about an hour later.  Fire Crews believe the cause of the fire was accidental, however no one has been inside the building since the Sunday service.  Only the exterior walls remain of the gutted sanctuary.

A sad sight for folks living on Fairlane Drive.

"I've been living here for 44 years, and this is the first major fire we've had here that I know of," Parker said.

Parker lived lived across from the church since its construction in 1966, and then its expansion ten years later.  Many of his neighbors attended services there.  Pastor Mary Hoff said it's surreal how the little things buried under the rubble mean so much to her now.

"The saddest thing about it to us is the memories," Hoff said. "We had a library...all we can do was watch. Watch it burn."

Many books donated to the church have been passed down from generations of church-goers.  Items that cannot be replaced.

"We've got to just scratch the sadness," she said, "and go on and dive into it and get busy and do what we have to do."

Although this community lost its sanctuary, they keep their spirits high, and hope to rebuild soon.  In the meantime, members of the Community of Christ Church are invited to attend services in the town of Eros.  There is no word as to wether or not parishioners will rebuild the church, or move to a different location.