A SUNDAY OF EXCITEMENT

As you may be aware, this past Sunday the 11:00 a.m. worship service was interrupted by smoke in the sanctuary. Ten minutes into the service Pastor Steve suggested the sanctuary be evacuated. As a matter of safety the whole church building was cleared and the day’s activities canceled.

The smoke smelled electrical and seemed to be coming from one of lights in the sanctuary ceiling. The Fire Department was called. Steve also called Larry Fagan, electrical contractor who has a long history and familiarity with Platte Woods Church. Larry responded immediately, coming to the church with one of his company’s electricians. After investigation by the Fire Department and Larry, it was determined the building would be OK. However, it was suggested the lights in the sanctuary be left off until the condition could be checked out.

Monday morning Larry and an electrician again visited the church. We turned the lights on to see what would happen. Nothing happened. Larry suggested the following:

• First, one of Larry’s electricians would check out the lights in the ceiling to see if insulation was placed too close to the light, causing excessive heat buildup and a potential fire hazard.
• Second, Larry is arranging for a mechanical lift to be brought into the sanctuary on Wednesday or Thursday, so as to check on the fluorescent lights above the soffits on the sides of the sanctuary. It could be one of the light ballasts malfunctioned.
• Third, we are arranging to have the furnaces servicing the sanctuary checked to make sure the furnace wiring is not the cause of the problem.

We will have completed all of the above actions by Friday morning. We will let you know the outcome of the investigation. At this time we are planning to hold worship services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, as well as Sunday School.

This has been a learning opportunity for our church community. We accomplished evacuation of the church building in an orderly and efficient fashion. However, we need to develop and post emergency procedures for evacuating our property. At our staff meeting this morning we discussed this issue. We certainly want to provide the safest possible environment for our collective activities! Working with the Church Trustees, we will develop emergency plans for this and other challenges we might face in the future.

And so I give thanks to God no persons were injured and no property damaged. Indeed, it was a Sunday of excitement!