Food, Receipt and Restaurant

Rising from the ashes

By Jenni Vincent, Journal staff writer

MARTINSBURG - The Rev. Debbie Bowman will never forget how it looked inside her church after an arsonist struck the Harvest Lighthouse Ministries in January. But through it all, Bowman believed God would prevail and her ministry would come back stronger than ever.

"Right here in the front room, the ceiling and floor were totally gone. The walls and the pillars here were all gone too. It looked like a bomb had gone off," Bowman said, shaking her head at the memory of the Jan. 13 fire. "Really, it looked like whoever had done this meant to destroy the ministry."

In some ways, the fire was a blessing, Bowman said.

"It is difficult to go through something like that, but just look at what God has done since then - just look at what God does through a fire. He has restored everything," she said. "Even in bad things we can find the good. We just have to be patient and know that God is in control."

Just three months later, virtually all reminders of the fire are gone, since the building has been renovated. Bowman credits her landlord Ed Kruger and contractor Doug Copenhaver of Custom Contracting Inc. for making sure the building was "brought back to life as quickly as possible," she said.

They are both "wonderful men who care about people," Bowman said.

When the church officially holds its grand reopening from 3 to 5 p.m. May 5, the congregation will be greeted by crisp bright walls and an "almost clinical setting," she said. That's no accident, since Bowman likens her church to a hospital for souls.

Although she continued to host church services in other places since the fire, Bowman said she's eager to get back to her "home" setting.

"I've been here 13 years and I love these people so much. It's been very difficult not having the ministry open, because it's not just about feeding them. The food is how we bring the people in here so they can know there is a different way of life. And that's what this ministry is all about," Bowman said, tears filling her eyes as she spoke.

Visitors find "unconditional acceptance no matter where they've come from," she said. "Now we can do even more. ... God is not finished. God gave use elevation, He took us up from one level to another."

Greg Hoover, Martinsburg Fire Department chief fire investigator, said Friday this fire was part of the ongoing string of local arsons that are being investigated.

"Actually it was the first of the 11 this year," Hoover said.

He said gasoline was poured through the mail slot of the ministry's front door and set on fire, and the fire spread back throughout the building. It is located at 104 E. Martin St.

Bowman agreed little was spared in the blaze, but she believes it was the Lord's work that prevented a beloved wooden cross pulpit and altar in the sanctuary from being destroyed.

"This is the only thing that was really saved from the fire. This was made for me many, many years ago by a man who went to prison but found Jesus Christ there, and he built that. He said God told him what the measurements would be and it came into this place," Bowman said.

"It was all black from the smoke," she said, but it was able to be restored, adding that another treasured piece also was spared.

"As you can see, there is just a little bit of a black smudge on this tapestry of the shepherd, but it didn't burn either," Bowman said.

While her congregation is getting excited about the renovations, others also have begun to notice the church's new look and expressed interest in its mission, she said.

"They've been watching as we worked, some even stopping to see when we will be open again. Some of them thought it was new, didn't even have any knowledge of this ministry, so God has also used the fire as an advertisement," Bowman said.

Services will begin again May 10. Bible study is held Monday through Thursday at 10 a.m., she said.

Lunch is served at noon daily. Church services are held Thursday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at noon, Bowman said.

Insurance covered most of the renovation costs, but Bowman and her church members are still raising funds to pay for other items lost in the fire - including large cookers - that are needed to continue the ministry's feeding program. Donations also are accepted to help defray the building's heating costs, she said.

A local restaurant, Hoss's Steakhouse on Edwin Miller Boulevard, is sponsoring a community family dinner on May 1 to benefit the church, Bowman said.

At that time, Hoss's will donate 25 percent of a diner's meal receipt to help support the church, she said.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can contact Bowman at 304-671-4275.

- Staff writer Jenni Vincent can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 138, or jvincent@journal-news.net