Fire can destroy building but not community institution
By Roy Ockert Jr.
Feb. 15, 2014
A fire that destroys the building or buildings housing a community institution is not the worst kind of fire — that would be one causing loss of life — but it can touch the lives of many more people. However, such a disaster can also result in a positive, proving to all just how important the institution is.
Such will be the case for the Forest Home Church of the Nazarene, whose building went up in flames and smoke early Thursday morning.
Recovery is never quick or easy, but two things have already been confirmed for the staff and members of the congregation:
1. That the church, like any community institution of importance, is not just bricks and mortar, wood and nails. It’s the sum total of everything and everyone who made the institution important. Because fire can’t destroy that, the building can be replaced.
2. That the community, reminded by the disaster of the importance of that institution, will respond immediately and generously to give help and support of all kinds.
I went through something like this when on the night of Jan. 3, 1981, the building that housed The Batesville Guard, the daily newspaper for which I was editor, burned to the ground.
For those of us who worked at the Guard, suddenly we were without a place to carry on our business, which involved publishing a Monday-through-Friday newspaper. We lost everything — our desks and chairs, our computer equipment, our typesetting machines and press, the notes and photos for stories in progress, our ads for the coming week, our billing and subscriber records and — perhaps worst of all — our files of the newspaper that went back many years. In a sense, we had even lost our history.
We were fortunate, in a way, that the fire occurred Saturday night because we had a day and a half to recover before our next issue needed to be delivered. And we made it.
But we did so, and we continued publishing regularly, only because of the outpouring of support that started early Sunday morning from a community reminded of the importance of its newspaper, as well as from other newspapers across the state. For weeks, even months, people were bringing us food, letters of support, copies of the bills we had sent them, old newspapers, anything they thought might help.
I never again questioned the importance of a newspaper to its community.
That will happen here, too, with the Forest Home Church of the Nazarene, indeed already was happening before the smoke dissipated.
As an institution, a church is certainly different from a newspaper so the needs are different. But all of us understand the importance of churches to our community, and so many people will find a way to help. The church will have absolute, continuing affirmation of its vital role in the community, and with that support will be able to build an even stronger institution.
As I mentioned, such a fire touches many lives, and this one had an impact on mine, as well as that of other members of the Kiwanis Club of Jonesboro. Our 74th annual Pancake Day fund-raiser was to be held in the church gym on March 1, as it had been the past two years.
When the old fairgrounds was closed on short notice two years ago, Forest Home Pastor Ken Stallings and his staff came to our aid and offered us use of the gym. We liked the location and the graciousness of our hosts so much we decided to stay there.
The Kiwanis Pancake Day is an institution in itself. Started in 1940 at the old Hotel Noble in downtown Jonesboro, Pancake Day has long been the club’s primary fund-raiser, helping us provide three Arkansas State University scholarships annually to deserving area high school students as well as to fund a variety of other charitable causes, mostly involving children.
Over the years it has been held, usually in February or March, in various locations, including what later became the downtown Post Office, Catholic Hall, the old Masonic Building, Wyatt’s Cafeteria in the Indian Mall and the old fairgrounds.
We start selling tickets in early January and making other plans, and we always worry about the weather because this isn’t the kind of event that can easily be rescheduled. For 73 years Kiwanians and spouses have cooked and served pancake breakfasts to hundreds of Jonesboro residents (now more than 1,500 annually) who support the effort (and like pancakes).
Naturally, panic struck when Kiwanis officers and board members learned of the fire Thursday morning. That’s not to say our loss is anything to compare with that of the church staff and members. But we needed to move quickly, too, to preserve our institution.
Immediately, we experienced the same kind of community support. By mid-morning we had several offers of possible locations. By 11 our board members were visiting a couple of them. And by mid-afternoon the governing board of the First Presbyterian Church, 710 Southwest Drive, had approved use of its Fellowship Hall on the same date and time.
I wish the problems for the staff and congregation of the Forest Home church could be resolved as easily. But I can only say we’ll have some pancakes ready for them on March 1.
Roy Ockert is editor emeritus of The Jonesboro Sun. He may be reached by e-mail at royo@suddenlink.net.