Covenant News

Fire Extensively Damages Foley (MN) Church

FOLEY, MN (April 25, 2001) - Damage to Maywood Covenant Church is still being assessed following a fire resulting from a lightning strike last Thursday evening. Investigators believe lightning struck a telephone line leading into the pastor's office, which was completely destroyed.

Pastor Jeff Loewen and his family were awakened around 5:30 a.m. Friday when Jenny Markfort, who was passing by, ran to the house shouting, "Get up - the church is on fire!" The Foley Volunteer Fire department quickly arrived and "did a terrific job containing the fire," Loewen said.

The main sanctuary primarily suffered water and smoke damage, though one wall and the roof were severely damaged. "The insurance company is still getting bids and doing its assessment, but it looks as though the main sanctuary will be repairable and the education wing will be considered a complete loss," Loewen said.

The church Stewardship Committee only recently reviewed and upgraded its insurance policy, the pastor noted. "It looks as though the insurance will adequately cover the loss," he said.

The church will meet in a local Catholic school until repairs to the church are completed.

"The church, I believe, really is considering this a blessing in disguise," Loewen said. "We know that in the end, all will be very good. The church will be completely upgraded to code, all the contents and equipment will be new - everything will work out for good. But, there is a lot of mess to deal with at the moment and many difficult decisions to be made."

The pastor's prayer list includes requests for patience, unity, "wisdom for the million decisions," A strong sense of God's direction for what is next and a clear vision for ministry and energy.

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