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| Lightning strikes Hilltop Church |
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| Written by Danetta Barker | |
| Wednesday, 28 July 2010 | |
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By Danetta Barker Editor His father appeared to Moses in a burning bush, so it makes sense that Jesus would appear in a burning church. Many people, who were at Hilltop Christian Church when it first started burning, saw an image they were familiar with, that of Jesus in a white robe. “It was the melted siding,” Karen Muse said. “It was the way it had melted, it looked just like Jesus. It was peaceful.” During storms that swept through Fleming County July 20, lightning struck the church steeple. Residents nearby saw and heard the loud thunder and saw the bright light. Sandra Pelfrey said her husband thought it might have hit their house. “My husband was in the garage. It was about 7:30 that evening,” she said. “When he came in he said that if that lightning didn’t hit the house it missed a good chance.” The lighting bolt missed the Pelfrey home but hit the nearby church. Sandra Pelfrey said at first she couldn’t see fire in the steeple. “The lightning knocked all the electronics off and I was busy getting everything turned back on,” Pelfrey said. “I kept checking on the church and finally saw the fire.” Other residents in the area also saw the flames and called 911. Ewing Volunteer Fire Department and Flemingsburg Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the scene to see the fire contained in the steeple. Firefighters worked into the night to put out the fire. According to Emergency Management Director Dwayne Price, the fire was extinguished and left water damage to the steeple. Plastic was draped over pews to protect against water damage. It could have been much worse according to Muse. “There is a 550 pound bell in that steeple,” Muse said. “They were afraid the timbers around it would burn and cause the bell to fall through the floor of the church.” That didn’t happen as firefighters extinguished the flames before the bell could fall. The church has been standing for 114 years according to Muse, who is a member. She and her husband have worked on the church, including polishing and staining pews. As for the vision she saw that evening, Muse knows it was the siding and the flames casting a light, but the image of Jesus was clearly visible. “It was God’s work to melt it like that,” she said. |
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