MALVERN, Ark. — A Malvern church is dealing with extensive damage after it went up in flames early Thursday morning.
While no injuries were reported, the congregation at Lifepoint Community Church has a long road to restoration.
Rick McClure, the church's lead pastor and a state representative, said work is underway to make the church whole again. McClure said the fire caused more than $30,000 worth of damage.
He said he's still processing what happened, but his mindset is on rebuilding.
"To be quite honest, we went into crisis mode," McClure said.
Just minutes after leaving the church Thursday morning, McClure found out his building caught fire, but he said things were normal before he left.
"I was working on a little something, and I heard a loud thunder and what sounded like lightning," McClure said. "[I] walked through the building, checked all the electronics [and] everything was good."
That quickly changed, though.
"By the time I got here, we had at least three fire departments," McClure said. "Seems to be a lightning strike that caused it. Basically, the auditorium, the periphery, the kitchen, the peripherals, all the way around the auditorium, the foyers, and all of that are a total loss."
He said some rooms are still salvageable, though.
"We have a couple of rooms in the children's wing, which are OK, but basically, that main facility of your church is gone," McClure said.
He still holds on to the memories while looking at the damage.
"I've just been reminding people that memories are in our hearts," McClure said. "The building may change, but the memories are still there."
As McClure processes what happened, he's focused on cleaning up and rebuilding with the community supporting him.
"We have had a number of churches offer us to come use their building at different times," McClure said. "We've had people just walking up, we've had city leaders come by, so the community of Malvern is a great place. They're wonderful people, and I'm sure they will be with us through this journey as we move forward."
The Malvern Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
As for church services moving forward, McClure said they will try to have it in the children's area after they clean it up.
Click here to donate to the church's fire damage relief fund.