Immokalee heritage church destroyed; no cause yet
Days after an early morning fire consumed a heritage church in Immokalee, its congregation is continuing to praise while waiting to find out how the 1978 building caught fire.
What members of the Lilly Bass Church of God in Unity are not waiting for is the chance to come back together in their Pentecostal form of worship.
"Some of the churches have opened their doors to us to allow us to continue our services while we are figuring all this out," said Pastor Remar Scott on Sunday. "People are being really helpful."
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Sept. 25 they'll worship at Victory in Jesus Christ Tabernacle on School Drive.
Immokalee Fire Control District units, with assistance from North Collier Fire Department were on the scene from shortly after the 5:18 a.m. dispatch call to 8 a.m. Greater Naples Fire Rescue District offered area backup coverage.
The state fire marshal is investigating the cause.
The inside of the roughly 1,000-square-foot building at 626 Maple Drive, Immokalee, seems to be a total loss, Scott said. Pews, its sound system, books and other church items were all lost in the blaze.
The fire at this building is especially painful to Scott, whose grandmother, Rosetta Hooks, built the church to bring Pentecostal worship to Immokalee. She was then urged by her denomination to become its minister, and did so from 1978 to 1996, when she turned over the ministry to her grandson.
A website has not yet been dedicated yet for fundraising, but Scott said there was no question: "We're going to rebuild."
A Gofundme page has been started for the church.
Harriet Howard Heithaus writes for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fire destroys Immokalee church, but pastor looks to future for it
