Grieving Baileyton UMC Members Look Ahead; To Meet Wed.

By BILL JONES

Staff Writer

BAILEYTON -- Baileyton United Methodist Church, a 102-year-old landmark structure in this northern Greene County community, was destroyed Saturday morning by a fire of undetermined origin.

An investigation by the Greene County Sheriff's Department was continuing today.

No serious injuries were reported in the early-morning fire, but the sanctuary was gutted by the blaze, and the connected church buildings appeared to be damaged beyond recovery as well.

A report filed on Saturday by Deputy Sheriff Jeff Caudill estimated the value of the fire-destroyed church building at $300,000. The report listed the church building as a "total loss."

Greene County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr., who chairs the church's board, said that while the church had "decent insurance," the coverage amount will not be sufficient to cover all the costs of erecting a new church.

"We're going to appoint a 'second-century' committee that will have the task of coordinating fundraising to complete the construction project," the judge said.

Plans For New Church

He noted church members hope a new church that will be more easily accessible to the elderly can be built and that the new structure can include meeting facilities for community events.

The church's congregation is expected to discuss more about what its members want to see in a new building during a meeting that will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the United Volunteer Fire Department.

Also at that meeting, he said, church members will discuss where they would like to hold services until the new church is finished.

He said that Baileyton Elementary School's auditorium has been made available to the congregation as long as they wish to use it.

How Blaze Was Discovered

Deputy Caudill's report said the fire was discovered about 8:10 a.m. Saturday when Lost Mountain Pike resident Tammy Rupert noticed smoke coming from the building as she drove past the church.

Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns said this morning foul play is not suspected in connection with the blaze and that investigators are aware, so far, of two possible accidental causes.

Deputy Caudill's initial report said church members reported the church's oil-fired furnace had been lit on Friday, the day before the fire. The lighting of the furnace, according to the report, led some church members to suspect that as a cause of the fire.

But this morning, Sheriff Burns said Sheriff's Department's fire investigators also had found what they thought might be a "burn pattern" around an electrical outlet inside a Sunday school classroom inside the church.

Sheriff Burns said investigators from the state fire marshal's office also may join the investigation in an effort to determine what caused the blaze.

Despite the painful loss of the picturesque white frame church, a spokesman announced Saturday afternoon that the congregation planned to meet for worship services at 11 a.m. Sunday in the auditorium of Baileyton Elementary School.

In addition, Judge Bailey told a Greeneville Sun reporter at the scene Saturday morning that "There is no doubt in my mind that we will rebuild and the church will carry on."

Judge Bailey, who has attended the church since he was five years old, said Saturday morning that, "It's the people that matter in a church. The people will come together.

He said, "The Lord blessed us with a beautiful church and wonderful people. The people are resilient. They're strong. There is no doubt in my mind that we will rebuild and the church will carry on. We will be in prayer, and the Lord will lead us to a new church."

During the Sunday morning worship service in the auditorium at Baileyton Elementary School, Wade McAmis, the church's lay speaker announced that the congregation of Baileyton United Methodist Church will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the community room at the United Volunteer Fire Department on the Horton Highway, across from the school, to decide what steps to take next concerning rebuilding of the church.

The judge pointed out that members of other Baileyton churches were on hand to support the members of Baileyton United Methodist.

How Others Can Help

Judge Bailey wrote in an e-mail to the Sun that many churches and community members have already stepped forward and asked how they can help.

"One way to help the church is to submit recipes for a cookbook that the church had already planned to sell in late January or February 2008," he wrote.

"The church was already in the process of gathering recipes for a cookbook to help support a roofing project that began just days prior to the fire.

"Approximately 250 recipes have already been submitted to the publishing company and the church's goal is to have 500 by the deadline of Dec. 31, 2007."

The church, he said, has previously published two "very successful and cherished" cookbooks and the church members are very excited about the third edition.

Where To Send Recipes

"To contribute a recipe and help the church in its rebuilding project, please send your recipe by Dec. 15, 2007, to Amelia Bailey at aknbailey@earthlink.net or mail them to her at 1605 Baileyton Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37745," the judge wrote.

"You may also send them to Myra Moore at fammoore@comcast.net. For more information, contact Myra Moore at 234-2632. When submitting a recipe(s), please include your name and community and/or church."

Background Of Fire

A Greene County 911 spokesman said that the fire was reported at 8:13 a.m. and that units of the United Volunteer Fire Department and the Greeneville Fire Department were immediately dispatched to the church, located at 967 Main St. amid a cluster of trees.

Moments later, a first-arriving United Volunteer Fire Department firefighter was heard reporting by radio to Greene County 911 that the church's sanctuary was already fully engulfed in flames.

Because of the fire's advanced stage at that point, United VFD firefighters directed 911 to tell the Greeneville Fire Department truck that was responding to the fire to return to Greeneville.

Units of the Newmansville VFD subsequently joined in the firefighting effort.

Michele DeLotto, a spokesman for the United VFD, said 20 firefighters and nine trucks from United VFD were joined by nine firefighters and one tanker truck from the Newmansville VFD and two off-duty Greeneville firefighters.

Also responding to the fire scene were a Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services ambulance, the Greene County Sheriff's Department, the Baileyton Police Department, a disaster services unit from the Greene County Chapter of the American Red Cross, a Greeneville Light & Power System crew and the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad.

Column Of Smoke

A Sun reporter, who was alerted to the fire by emergency radio transmissions between firefighters and 911, could see a towering column of black smoke pouring into the air above Baileyton from a distance of more than four miles.

When the reporter reached the scene, United VFD firefighters were fighting the flames that had already engulfed the sanctuary and collapsed its roof, leaving the interior of the sanctuary a mass of flames.

A sign in front of the white frame church said it was built in 1905 as the Baileyton Methodist Episcopal Church.

'Saw Belfry Fall'

As firefighters battled to save the fellowship hall adjacent to the main church building, stunned church members and other Baileyton residents watched in horror in the morning chill.

One of the church members present was Ed Sensabaugh, who said he is the church's song leader as well as chaplain of the United VFD.

Sensabaugh fought to contain his emotions, saying that he had been alerted to the fire when he received a page from Greene County 911. "I got here just in time to see the belfry fall," he said sadly.

He noted that the church had just begun a roof replacement project. "They (the roofing contractor) just completed the first section yesterday (Friday, Nov. 23)," he said.

100th Anniversary In 2005

Judge Bailey said that the church had celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005 and that its members had buried a time capsule beneath the foundation at that time.

He explained that he learned of the fire in a telephone call from his mother and father, who also are long-time members of the church and who live only a short distance from it.

"My great-grandfather helped to build the church," the judge said as he watched flames consume its sanctuary.

He noted that the church's sanctuary had had 19 stained glass windows, most of which had been installed in recent years at a cost of about $50,000.

"I'm prejudiced, but I think it was the prettiest sanctuary in the county," he said.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the people of the church will be all right," Judge Bailey said. "The Lord will take care of us."

Sulphur Springs UMC Fire

The Baileyton UMC was the second Baileyton-area church to burn in recent years.

In June 2003, the Sulphur Springs United Methodist Church, which is located only a short distance from the Town of Baileyton and is on the same United Methodist circuit as the Baileyton UMC, was destroyed by fire.

The Sulphur Springs UMC was rebuilt after a successful community fundraising effort.