QUINCY, Fla. (WTXL) - A church fire in Quincy destroyed the Faith Heritage Church on West Jefferson Street.
It happened at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
We spoke to the pastor who says despite all of this, services will still go on as planned Sunday morning.
"I woke up to the sound of the Sheriff Department knocking at my door at 3 in the morning, motioning and screaming for me to evacuate and evacuate immediately," said Pastor Paul Ladd.
He escaped in time to find the church that's called Quincy home for over 100 years burning down in flames.
"It's devastating. This church has a rich history here in this city and Gadsden County. This is one of the very first churches in this city and in this county," said Ladd.
Members of the congregation, even concerned neighbors stopped by to survey what still stands of Faith Heritage.
"This is a total loss. Everything is destroyed. The fire was up high in the roof. It ran the length of the roof and fell down on everything inside the structure," said Quincy Fire Chief Curtis Bridges.
But, through all of the smoke, Pastor Ladd can see a bright future.
"I don't need a building. I just need my Jesus. Jesus is my King. I don't worship a building, I worship my king," said Ladd.
Worship that he says will take still take place this Sunday.
"If nobody else is out here but me and my family, we're going to have church. And if you want to have church with us bring some bologna and some bread," said Ladd.
And from there, promises to pick up the pieces and rebuild.
"For some reason, God saw fit to let this happen. It's devastating what happened. It's horrible, but God still knows what he's doing. He's still under control," said Ladd.
The State Fire Marshall is investigating along with Quincy Fire.
You can listen to the 911 call below:
QUINCY, Fla. (WTXL) - Crews battled a fire early Wednesday morning at a Quincy church.
The blaze occurred at Faith Heritage Church, 2034 W. Jefferson St.
The time the fire started was not immediately available.
Even as fire crews extinguished the blaze, Pastor Paul Ladd, who was on scene, was expressing faith that the church will be rebuilt.
"I still have hope 'cause again my God takes care of his people," he told a WTXL reporter. "He takes care of his people. God is not going to take something away that he is not going to replace."
He said: "We are going to rebuild."
Until the structure is rebuilt, however, he has plans for the congregation to gather.
"Sunday morning I'm going to call my congregation, see if they want to have a picnic out on the front lawn and have church," he said.
Check back for more details on this developing story.
