The Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church in Lindale is the latest church to report a fire in East Texas, since January 1st, 2010.
Firefighters managed to put the fire out at the church, located on 69, quickly, and saved the sanctuary.

 

"Rash" of East Texas Church Fires
Should Have Everyone Vigilant and Watching

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Hopkins County, like any other East Texas county, has some kind of church building at nearly every turn, many of them in rural areas, where there is minimal traffic around them. And, with eight church fires being reported in Northeast Texas, since January 1, 2010, it's imperative that everyone keep a watchful eye around church buildings for suspicious activity. Arson has been confirmed in several of the eight fires, since the beginning of the year and others are under investigation by the Texas Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives.

Why anyone would want to light fire to a church, is beyond me, but the eight congregations, all south of Sulphur Springs, have either been destroyed or partially damaged by fire.

Included in the fires are: Fellowship of Prairie Creek Church in Lindale; Lake Athens Baptist Church in Athens; Grace Community Church in Athens; Little Hope Baptist Church near Canton; First Church of Christ Scientist in Tyler; Tyland Baptist Church, near Tyler; and a rural church in the community of Martins Mill.

 

 

The small Seymore Church of Christ, located on Highway-154, is like so many of our Hopkins
County churches, in a rural area, and needs to be watched vigilantly for anything that might
occur suspiciously around it, as you pass by.

 

Many of our churches in Hopkins County are poorly lit at night, thus making it even more imperative that neighbors and those out traveling the roads, to be more watchful of any kind of activity that could be suspicious. Certainly, all of us hope that those responsible be caught, or any of us could wake up to a burned sanctuary or partially destroyed structure, and no place to hold services.

Report any suspicious activity to the Hopkins County Sheriff's department, if you notice anything around one of our churches, out of the ordinary!

 

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