03/30/2026
Subject: Important Update: Fire Incident at the Hillside Community Church Building Early This Morning
Dear Church Family,
We are writing to share some important news regarding our church building. Early this morning, at around 2:45 AM, a fire broke out in the back corner of the church near the Tech room..
morning
First and foremost, we want to reassure you that the building was empty at the time, and absolutely no one was hurt.
Our security alarm alerted us immediately to a problem. Kim Haggard arrived and spotted the fire on the wall of the Tech room at the back of the building. She acted quickly, with the fire extinguisher in her truck and then got a second extinguisher from the wall in the church's back entrance. She was able to knock the flames down and help contain the situation before the fire department arrived to fully extinguish them. The fire department arrived very quickly. We are incredibly grateful for the alarm notification, Kim's extremely fast response and the professional and timely response of our local firefighters.
Current Situation: While the fire was contained to the back corner, the building has sustained fire and water damage. There will be a full investigation of the scene this moring involving the fire department and police. We will update all of you with more information once the fire investigation has been completed. Currently, the power is out, and we are working swiftly to secure the building, board up the damaged exterior, and protect our plumbing from the freezing temperatures. We have also initiated the claims process with our insurance company and anticipate that our building will be closed for some time. The elders will be meeting at around lunchtime to discuss further contingency plans. We will keep all of you posted.
What This Means for Now:
Building Closure: For your safety and to allow restoration professionals to do their work, the church building is completely closed until further notice. Please do not stop by the property at this time.
Mid-Week Activities: All meetings, classes, and events scheduled at the building for the next few days are cancelled or will be moved online. Group leaders will reach out directly.
Good Friday Service: The event at our facility will need to be cancelled. We will post any alterations to the schedule
Sunday Service: We are currently assessing our options for this coming Sunday. We will update you as soon as we have a plan in place for where and how we will meet.
How You Can Help: Right now, the most helpful thing you can do is pray—for a smooth insurance and restoration process, and for our leadership team as we navigate the logistics over the coming days. We will let you know if we need volunteers to help with cleanup or moving equipment once the building is declared safe.
We will provide another update as soon as we know more. Even without our building, the church remains strong, and we will get through this together.
Your Servant in Christ,
Pastor Clint
