McCreary County Church Rebuilt

By: Phil Pendleton - Email

Updated: Fri 7:43 PM, Sep 28, 2007

Video will be available shortly

Church Rebuilding After Fire

Last October The First Church of Jesus Christ in Wyborg was gutted by fire.

Then in December it burned again and that time only the chimney remained.

“We were all so broken hearted. We just didn't know what we were going to do,” says church member Violet Boyatt.

But that bit of heartache has now turned to joy. The old building only had room for 40 to 50 people; the new church will hold more than 100.

“We just can't express what the church means to us. What the Lord has blessed us with. Give him all the credit,” says Rev. Allen Pat Coffey.

Police ruled the cause of the fire as electrical, but many of the people have other suspicions. Because of that, people have taken precautions with the new building.

“First of all we got insurance, secondly, we built everything (on the outside) with metal, so we're hoping that will take care of it and we're hoping it never happens again,” says Boyatt.

When the church was gutted the first time, their membership was reduced to less than 20 people. They didn't have any insurance to pay for replacement. Their backs were against the wall. But they prevailed.

“We all started pitching in, giving what we could. Give and getting things started, then we went out and worked through this community and Somerset.”

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