Zion Lutheran Church members moving forward after church destroyed by arsonist

AVILLA, Ark. (KTHV) -- Service continued Sunday after a fire damaged a church in Avilla.

Members continue to keep the faith while finding different ways to move forward. Members of Zion Lutheran Church held Bible study in a new place instead of their normal spot in their damaged church.

Federal Investigators are offering a $5,000 reward hoping it leads to an arrest. Nearly a week has passed, and longtime member Walter Jones still can't believe his eyes.

"The last thing that was on my mind is that I would come back this Sunday and the church would not be there anymore,” Jones said. “We lost 20 percent of our facility when we lost that building, and there was probably 30 to 40 percent of our mission outreach programs being conducted in that building."

Police said someone set fire to Zion Lutheran Church, ruining the 100-year-old community staple, but Jones said it doesn't stop their mission of giving.

"We have the ACA [Avilla Christian Academy] school, and they're out of class for the summer, so we're commandeering a couple of their classrooms,” Jones stated.

He said many people have reached out and have offered to help, but they’re still waiting on information from the insurance companies to see what help is needed. Pastor Mike Schleider believes there's no other way but to keep the faith.