SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Fire ripped through a Shelbyville church Monday night, but plans are already in the works to rebuild it.
Frank Jones, the treasurer of the Grace of Assembly of God Church, said the building may be gone, but the church isn't. The people, he said, are the church.
Yet he wasn't sure what to expect when he showed up to view the damage.
"It was hard to look at," Jones said. "For the most part, it's gone. You can see what it looks like. It's a sad thing."
On Tuesday, the destruction was clearly visible by the light of day, with windows blown out, nothing standing but the building's frame and a fallen steeple that collapsed into the building.
"Keep us in prayer," Jones said. "We need a lot of that."
Pictured: an aerial view of what's left of the Grace Assembly of God church on US 60 in Shelbyville, Ky., on March 8, 2022, one day after a fire destroyed the building.
Firefighters got at least four calls just before 9 p.m. Monday. When they arrived, flames were shooting through the roof. The Simpsonville Fire Chief said it took 40 firefighters from four different departments to get the flames under control.
"The church is not the building. It's the people," Jones said. "So as long as we can keep our congregation together and have a place to worship, we'll be OK.
Jones said a theater on the other side of town offered its space to hold services, and they plan to take advantage of that offer.
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