Pastor, wife survive church fire in Jackson

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A Jackson pastor and his wife are thankful to be alive 24 hours after their church went up in flames while they were inside the building.

The fire happened at Spoken Word Ministries on Texas Avenue Thursday.

“Lord Have Mercy,” pastor Clyde Rudd said. “We bought the building in 2003, and we have been working on it ever since. It takes a lot of money to repair a bigger building, and everything was going good until the fire started. We were putting the final touches on the building because we were getting ready for our appreciation event and everything.”

Pastor Rudd says it was a neighbor who ran over and told them to get out of the church because the smoke was shooting from the roof.

He says within minutes, the church was engulfed in flames.

“My wife and I were in there working in the church, and one of the neighbors ran over and said your building is on fire, so you all have to get out of here. After that, the firemen rolled up, and we were moving, and the smoke almost overtook me because it was so strong, but we finally got out to God be the glory,” Pastor Rudd said.

He says although this is a big loss, he and his wife’s lives were saved, and he is thankful for it.

“When you talk about it, sometimes it makes you cry, but still, God is good. I don’t know what God has for me. I don’t know if the building will be replaced or repaired. I believe it might be possible, but it’s going to cost a lot of money, but we are still optimistic and positive, and we are children of the Lord.”

According to the Jackson Fire Department, embers from trash being burned outside the church caused the building to catch fire. Pastor Rudd says he is hoping to get some local volunteers and donations to rebuild.

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