MUSKOGEE COUNTY, Okla. -- Community Church in rural Muskogee County was hit overnight and no one is claiming responsibility.
Pastor Roger Pratt believes it was a semi truck driver that backed into the building. He learned about what happened from a member of his 40 member congregation.
"I'd rather they had called me in the middle of the night.. the truck driver, and said, 'Hey, I hit your church', but it never happens that way," Pratt said.
He said pretty regularly, truck drivers get lost on their way to the Georgia Pacific plant nearby and end up around his church. Pastor Pratt said they use the lot in front of his church to turn around.
"Evidently when he backed into it, probably the roof of the foyer may have fallen down or the truck got hooked to it, as he pulled away he pulled it out," Pratt said.
He also pointed to tire track marks in front of the church.
In the 39 years Pratt has been with the church, he said it has been hit one time before and had several other close encounters.
"I talked to OHP this morning, but without the truck and without a witness they don’t have much to go on," Pratt said. "They called security at Georgia Pacific and they said they would examine the trucks that were there for damage."
In the meantime, he has turned it all over to the Lord, which he said has brought him peace.
"Right here at Christmas season, there is so much going on so many other things that really take precedence over it that we don’t have time to worry about it," Pratt said.
In the coming days, he plans to move the debris and get new front doors on the church. He said they will likely just have to put an awning on the front, rather than a full foyer, because the church did not have insurance.
That likely will not be done in time for their Christmas service this Sunday. It will have to be moved into the building next door
"We’re a close-knit group," he said of the congregation. "It’s kind of like a big family, you know, and we’ll pull together and we’ll be strong through it. Turn it over to the Lord and he will take care of it."
Pratt hopes someone's memory is jogged about what happened and will come forward with information to find who is responsible.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
