Living Waters Community Church Pastor Gary Jones points to how far the debris from a collapsed ceiling came in the sanctuary of the church. Some of the debris that remains can be seen at left.
The volunteers at Living Waters Community Church in Brookfield had finished their monthly food distribution. While he was at the Stewart Sharon Road church, Pastor Gary Jones wanted to check on the ceiling area in the sanctuary, around where a projector hangs. Bits of dusty insulation had been falling out of that area.
Jones climbed a 20-foot ladder and pulled down two broken pieces of ceiling tile.
“I’m pushing and heaving but I couldn’t see,” Jones said of why material was falling.
“I no sooner got off this ladder and walked to the back to shut off the lights,” Jones said. “Buddy, down it came. Boom, boom, boom. It was three crashes.”
“It” was about a third of the ceiling, along with the older ceiling that was above the ceiling tiles, an 8-by-8 support beam, several 2-by-6 boards and lots of cellulose insulation. The ceiling fell on the pulpit, PA equipment, musical instruments and several rows of pews. Jones and one other person were in the sanctuary at the time, and a couple of people in the basement heard the booms.
“It was a total disaster. What got me was God spared my life. I was there,” Jones said, pointing to the top of the ladder. “That thing could have fell on me.”
This was early afternoon of March 28.
Since then, Jones has been dealing with insurance companies and contractors to work on a restoration plan. A structural engineer visited the church and determined that the 8-by-8 beam failed, he said. There had been no roof leaks or evidence of insect infestation.
The church was built in 1870 as the Slope Congregational Church by members of the local Welsh community, according to local history researcher Lois Werner in her book “The History of Brookfield Township, Trumbull County, Ohio.” Services were held in the Welsh language until about 1905.
The building later housed a United Church of Christ congregation, and has been a First Assembly of God Church. Jones moved in in 2011, from which to operate Living Waters and Gary Jones Ministries.
Other than occasionally replacing a shingle that had blown off, Jones has done no work on the building.
Now, he sure has plans. It remains to be seen what the insurance company will be willing to pay for, but Jones said he would like to replace the electrical wiring and fixtures, lighting and walls, and restore the ceiling, which might have been arched in its earliest incarnation.
The structural integrity of the roof will be a major concern.
“They want to make sure everything is safe,” Jones said of the insurance company.
Jones still marvels at what he experienced that day.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “The best part is nobody got hurt. I had six people helping me when I climbed around up there. All but one was downstairs,” when the ceiling gave way.
In the meantime, Jones is holding services for 20 to 30 people a Sunday in the basement. While it’s hard on some of the congregants to meet this way, he praised their faithfulness in continuing to come.
Jones said he has no timetable for when he again will be able to preach from the sanctuary.
Jones is accepting donations for whatever work is not covered by insurance through a Subsplash.com account. You can find a link to donate at his personal Facebook page under Gary Jones. Click on the June 17 post.
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