This makes me sick! My Ancestors went to that church Gladys 6-24-03 By WAYNE STEWART H-P News Editor Reaffirming the belief that a church is its people and not a building, the members of Fields Chapel Methodist Church held services Sunday despite that their church was destroyed by fire. Longtime church member Susie Langston said full church services were held at a member's home. The message of the service was hope and faith. "The building was gone, but the church was there Sunday," Langston said defiantly this morning. "We had a wonderful service. Our former pastor was there along with our new pastor." Fields Chapel Methodist Church was destroyed by a fire late Thursday night. While the Texas Fire Marshal's Office has yet to rule on the cause of the fire, many firefighters involved in fighting the blaze said there are many indications that point to arson. Langston said an insurance adjuster was scheduled to be at the church this afternoon to inspect the damage. "We are going to rebuild," Langston added. The fire began at the back of the church on the southside near a breezeway connecting the main church with an outbuilding, according to firefighters. The outbuilding was saved while the main church building is being considered a total loss. With the saving of the outbuilding, the church's music hymnals were not destroyed. Langston said those books were used during Sunday's service. "We had a singing with them," Langston said of the books. "We had a lot of people there and we'll be back." Anderson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Mike Link said if the state fire marshal rules the fire was arson, then the sheriff's department will work in conjunction with the fire marshal on the case. "If it is arson, then we'll (sheriff's department) work in conjunction with them to develop suspects and motives," Link said this morning.

I personally went to Fields Chapel to see the church. It was a sad sight. Let me encourage all that have ancestors in the cemetery there to continue to support that area, and if at all possible, financially support the rebuilding program. Perhaps someone out there knows where we can start sending our $$$ to rebuild God's place. Dig deep and help that community have their place of worship rebuilt. Phyllis Vaughan Moody Descendant of Vaughan, Shaid, Langston, Hardy, Hassell -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 4:27 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [[TXANDERS]] 100 year old church burns. This makes me sick! My Ancestors went to that church Gladys 6-24-03 By WAYNE STEWART H-P News Editor Reaffirming the belief that a church is its people and not a building, the members of Fields Chapel Methodist Church held services Sunday despite that their church was destroyed by fire. Longtime church member Susie Langston said full church services were held at a member's home. The message of the service was hope and faith. "The building was gone, but the church was there Sunday," Langston said defiantly this morning. "We had a wonderful service. Our former pastor was there along with our new pastor." Fields Chapel Methodist Church was destroyed by a fire late Thursday night. While the Texas Fire Marshal's Office has yet to rule on the cause of the fire, many firefighters involved in fighting the blaze said there are many indications that point to arson. Langston said an insurance adjuster was scheduled to be at the church this afternoon to inspect the damage. "We are going to rebuild," Langston added. The fire began at the back of the church on the southside near a breezeway connecting the main church with an outbuilding, according to firefighters. The outbuilding was saved while the main church building is being considered a total loss. With the saving of the outbuilding, the church's music hymnals were not destroyed. Langston said those books were used during Sunday's service. "We had a singing with them," Langston said of the books. "We had a lot of people there and we'll be back." Anderson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Mike Link said if the state fire marshal rules the fire was arson, then the sheriff's department will work in conjunction with the fire marshal on the case. "If it is arson, then we'll (sheriff's department) work in conjunction with them to develop suspects and motives," Link said this morning. ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237