Ambassador Church fire still under investigation
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Photo/Suzanne Loudamy The remains of Pastor Tony Godfrey's office, including one of his Bibles, is left ruined in the rubble from the fire.

Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Department responded to a 12:15 a.m. alarm at the Ambassador Baptist Church on Jim Russell Road just north of the Whitehouse city limits Saturday morning.

Chapel Hill, Troup and Bullard departments also responded to combat the blaze that took out most of the north end of the church's building.

Agents from Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were on the scene early Saturday morning to investigate the possibility of the fire being a case of arson.

An accelerant-detecting canine unit was also called in to aid in the investigation.

The Smith County Fire Marshal's office is awaiting a report on samples sent to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection before making any ruling on the fire.

The church was set to open their doors to the voting public on Monday as an early voting site for Smith County. Smith County Elections Administrator Karen Chaney said the early voting site has been relocated to the Whitehouse United Methodist Church at 405 W. Main St.

Significant damage was sustained in the pastor's office in the northwest corner of the Ambassador Church building. An arson dog detected an accelerant in the area and the Smith County Fire Marshal's office is awaiting test results.

According to Smith County Fire Marshal Jim Seaton, the three voting machines that had already been delivered to the Ambassador site were in the south end of the church and probably only received smoke damage. To avoid any problems, those machines will not be used during early voting.

In an email received from Kara Godfrey, Pastor Tony Godfrey's wife, she says, "The fire primarily took place in Tony's office and in the Sunday School room side of our building. Everything in Tony's of fice is ashes. Tony's four years wor th of Shepherd School notes, books, Bibles, ever y sermon outline, computer, every study he has, etc. are totally gone."

"Praise the Lord that his main bible that he uses and his laptop were in our home and they didn't get harmed," Mrs. Godfrey said. "Three other classrooms were destroyed as well. Half of the ceiling in the sanctuary fell in and the rest of the building has smoke and water damage all through out it. Some stuff will probably be able to be salvaged but the building is probably a loss."

They may be down, but they are not out.

The church's congregation met together for services Sunday at the Whitehouse YMCA.

"We will meet in the Whitehouse YMCA on Sunday mornings and evenings and are looking at another possible location for Wednesday evenings," Mrs. Godfrey said. "Thank you Mr. Gilpin and Whitehouse YMCA staff."