Solid Rock Ministries gutted by fire
Pastor Elmer “Buzz” Hall and Valerie Hall sit outside their church and former home, Solid Rock Ministries, which was gutted by a fire Sunday night. Church members and members of other area churches stopped by Monday to offer help, prayers and support. The church was known for serving the Uniontown community, and served as a hub for disaster relief after a tornado devastated the neighborhood Feb. 15.
Solid Rock Ministries at 34 Millview Street was gutted by a fire Sunday at about 8:45 p.m., shortly after its evening services ended. The pastor, his wife and three grandchildren lived in the church. No injuries were reported.
Insulation dangles from the ceiling at Solid Rock Ministries in Uniontown, into a sanctuary coated with ash and scattered with offering plates, candles and coffee cups. The church was gutted by a fire shortly after services ended Sunday night at about 8:45 p.m. No injuries were reported.
A church that served as a light to the Uniontown community caught fire Sunday night, gutting Solid Rock Ministries on Millview Street.
“A lot of churches tend to shy away from the areas where people need them the most. This church moved right in,” said Calvary United Methodist Pastor Bev Roscoe. Roscoe, along with members and pastors of other area churches, stopped by Monday morning to see what they could do to help the church.
“This is a home for our congregation,” said Pastor Elmer “Buzz” Hall.
Hall lived in the church with his wife, Valerie Hall, and their three grandchildren after their own home burned down in 2012.
The church was a hub for disaster relief after a tornado ripped through the neighborhood Feb. 15, leaving many Uniontown residents displaced. The positive impact of the church on the community was not limited to the tornado. People knew they could come to the church for help, even late at night if they did not have a place to stay. A family was living in a tent on the property when the church caught fire. The church also hosted a food pantry, which Hall said received donations in abundance.
“That’s all lost,” said Valerie Hall. “We were pretty well stocked back up.”
The church was wrapping up its evening service when the fire started in a bedroom. Hall said her 8-year-old grandson, who has autism, found a lighter and started the fire accidentally.
A state police fire marshal is investigating to determine the official cause.
Just before the fire started, Hall was talking to a man who was planning to cover services for him while the family went out of town.
“I said ‘Just make sure the coffee pots are off when you leave.’ I was scared. I said, ‘We don’t want a fire while we’re gone,’ he said.
“Isn’t that awful? I was really trying to make sure nothing happened,” he said.
His wife rushed to the back of the church when she heard the fire alarm and attempted to extinguish the fire with others in the church. Hall ran outside to call 911 at 8:46 p.m., and ran back inside for the grandchildren, who escaped.
Suddenly the building went dark with smoke.
“I couldn’t see anything. Somebody grabbed my hand and said, ‘Come on man. I’ll take you out,’ he said. “If I would’ve gone much farther, that would have been it for me.”
The damages were assessed at $150,000, according to Valerie Hall. The family found a place to stay temporarily. They are seeking monetary donations to cover gaps in insurance coverage for the total the loss. They recently put in new flooring, a roof and replaced the pews with chairs.
Hall said it will take about six to eight months to rebuild. They are hoping to reopen for Easter. In the meantime, they are looking for a rental property to hold services. Buzz Hall said they hope to find a property close, so they can continue serving the neighborhood and carry on their mission.
“I really appreciate those who came to help encourage me, because I’m kind of down,” he said. “This is my life. This is who I am, what I’ve been called to do.”
Along with Roscoe, members of Bread of Life Tabernacle, Abundant Life Church and Faith Assembly of God in Uniontown and others stopped to offer prayers, support and encouragement.
“This is one of those small, independent churches that really exemplifies what it means to be a church,” Roscoe said.
Lynn Craggette said she joined the church in 2004, shortly after it was started on Gallatin Avenue.
“When I came here, I was going through something, and I don’t think I could have got what I needed anywhere else,” she said.
The church and others helped her after her Laurel Estates home was badly damaged in the tornado. She returned April 6 after months living in a hotel.
She is planning a spaghetti dinner to benefit the church.
Craggette left the church shortly before the fire started, after the evening service. She was running errands when she got a phone call about the fire and came back, running up to the church building.
“It’s not just a church. It’s also a family,” she said. “It’s like this: When they hurt, I hurt.”
“It’s just horribly sad,” Roscoe said to Valerie Hall as she was leaving.
“Oh well,” Hall replied with a shrug and a laugh. “We survived.”
Donations can be made in care of Abundant Life Church, 1239 Brownfield Road, Uniontown, PA 15401.