Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Sulphur plans a rebuilding process that will take about 18 months
by Gregg Brekke for the Presbyterian Foundation | Special to Presbyterian News Service
Sunlight beams into stained glass windows at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Sulphur, Oklahoma. (Photo courtesy of David George)
The Rev. David George, pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Sulphur, Oklahoma, arrived at the church Saturday morning, October 12, as firefighters were extinguishing the last of the flames from a fire that had engulfed the church.
The fire department had been notified of the fire by a call at 5:52 a.m. Once the fire was contained, George said he observed extensive damage to the education wing and fellowship hall, and other signs of intense heat and smoke damage in the sanctuary, kitchen and narthex.
“The surprise,” George recalled, “was when a young man came out of the trees behind the church and confessed in front of several of us that he had done it — probably had broken into the church the night before, or even maybe the night before that.”
The unnamed suspect was taken into custody by a sheriff’s deputy and, as of this writing, is still awaiting charges.
“Of course, I have concerns for the community that if it happened once, it can happen again,” said George, adding the suspect is “probably in what I would think would be in more of an unstable position. I mean, anybody that’s burning some things down, particularly churches, has other issues. Something’s going on. Something’s broken.”
Asked by the district attorney what the church wanted, George responded he wanted the suspect to get the help they need and for all the churches in the community to be safe.
“It’s above my pay grade to decide what that means,” he said. “But we certainly need to be able to feel at least some sense of safety in our community.”
The safety of the community isn’t an idle thought for George. This year, an EF-3 tornado ravaged the town, leaving one person dead, more than 30 people injured and a path of destruction that damaged 200 buildings, with 70 buildings counted as total losses.
Shepherd of the Hills sits a few miles from downtown and was unaffected by the tornado, but the congregation sprang into action to help its neighbors as soon as possible.
“A big part of our work was simply finding the people who had immediate needs and being able to give them a gift card [of $250],” said George, adding some families received multiple gift cards based on their need. “I’m guessing we had people give over $40,000, maybe even $50,000 through the process … It was a very powerful thing.”
The Rev. Kathy Lee-Cornell, director of partnerships for disaster recovery in the Synod of the Sun, said Shepherd of the Hills members were “a lifeline to their neighbors” during the tornado recovery efforts.
“One of our callings is to point people toward hope,” Lee-Cornell said. “I know the church has connections that open opportunities for others to care for a community that has cared so much for others.”
To that end, a recent $1,500 collection taken by the Korean Presbyterian Church in Lawton, Oklahoma, in gratitude for assistance received when its building was damaged by straight-line winds, is being directed toward Shepherd of the Hills.
“It’s a small gift that shows the connections of the Presbyterian Church,” she said.
The tornado relief assistance was a joint effort of the synod, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Indian Nations Presbytery in cooperation with the congregation, said the Rev. Dr. Charles Smith, interim presbytery pastor for Indian Nations Presbytery.
“Shepherd of the Hills has a very committed core group of saints that knows what it means to work in mission and outreach,” he said. “They not only provided financial help but helped with school supplies and other daily needs.”
When other area churches heard about the arson at Shepherd of the Hills, they sprang into action, reaching out to offer support and facilities use. When the congregation gathered for worship outside their burned building on Sunday, October 13, a nearby Baptist church sent their choir to share music. Following the service, the youth group from the Church of Christ congregation across the street brought food.
The church has secured meeting space at the Murray County Expo Center and began holding services there on October 20.
George estimates it may take 18 months to clean, restore and rebuild the church. Insurance adjusters have already been on site and the work of assessing the scope of the damage is nearly complete. The destruction is a mixed blessing as the church has experienced recent growth and was considering reconfiguring or adding to its now destroyed education space. The reconstruction will allow those plans to come to life.
“Things are going to get rebuilt,” George said. “We’re going to have a time where it’s going to be inconvenient, but God is with us and we’re going move forward. The church members are as determined as I am.”
This isn’t the first time George has experienced arson at a church he’s led. Thirty years ago this week, on October 14-15, 1994, an arsonist set fire to a school and then two churches in Eufala, Oklahoma — about 120 miles from Sulphur — when he was pastor of the First Baptist Church there.
Carrying the memory of that experience and other losses at churches, George said he believes sharing hope with his congregation and the community will be part of the healing process.
“In a year and a half, we’re going to be better, stronger,” he said. “A couple of things can happen when you have arsons: you can have church fall apart and you have churches just blossom because other people see the strength of what’s going on.
“I want to be a part of that, so I have a sneaking suspicion we may grow even more.”
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