John Giles of the Christian Coalition of Alabama says people across the state are stunned by the region's latest church fire, the tenth in a recent series of arson attacks to target a rural Alabama congregation's sanctuary over the past 11 days.
And now, the arson spree appears to have inspired a "copycat" crime.
Associated Press reports that the man Alabama authorities have arrested on suspicion of setting fire to an abandoned rural church, 21-year-old Jason Phelps, is not believed to be involved in setting the other ten church fires.
Rather, local law enforcement officials believe Phelps, who is described as mentally disturbed, is a copycat who lived next to the old church and who, in addition to setting that structure ablaze, also set a number of brush fires after watching news coverage about the arsons.
Area officials say Phelps' crime is "definitely not linked" to the spate of church fires that have occurred across the state over less than a fortnight. But as Beaverton Freewill Baptist Church, in northwest Alabama near the Mississippi line, was engulfed by flames this past Saturday afternoon and was ruled an arson on Sunday, that fire added to four more in west Alabama and five others in the state's Bibb County area brought the disturbing tally in this serial arson spree to ten.
Unsolved Crime Spree Has Church Members Uneasy
In the wake of these crimes, Giles says Alabama Christians have come to realize no rural church is safe. Investigators have as yet been unable to identify a motive or even to recognize a pattern in the selection of targets, apart from their isolated, rural locations. Five of the churches had white congregations and five black. And although all were Baptist congregations, many discount that as a significant factor, since Baptist is the dominant affiliation in the region.
Investigators do, however, believe these ten arson attacks against are linked, Giles notes. "They do have some connections in tire prints, and they've got connections in footprints," he says. Also, he points out, "They've got the FBI profilers in" and, in addition to local authorities, more than 40 federal agents are involved in the investigation.
Nevertheless, people are uneasy, the Christian spokesman observes. Believers statewide are on edge, he says, "because some of these churches in rural areas are their second home. They go to work, they spend time with their family and do chores around their property, and they go to church. It's just part of their three-legged stool way of life, and [the church is] just a major pillar in the community."
But despite their worry, Giles says Alabama Christians are hanging tough. "The resiliency and the message and the sentiments of these people are strong," he contends.
Echoing the feelings of one member of an affected congregation in Bibb County, where five of the recent arson attacks took place, the Alabama Christian Coalition leader notes, "One of the ministers said to me, 'You can burn down our church, but you cannot burn down the body of Christ. We will march on.'"
Giles says the Christian Coalition of Alabama is helping to beef up the rewards being offered by authorities for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for these fires. The organization recently announced that it would match the $10,000 reward put up by Governor Bob Riley and Alfa Insurance.
(c) 2006, Agape Press
