More churches burn
The 500-member congregation of Trinity Anglican Church in Mississauga was close to moving back into its sanctuary after a major renovation process when the church was gutted in a fire April 25.
Damage was estimated at $2 million. The 157-year-old church had been undergoing a $1.4 million renovation over the past year, during which the congregation met in a nearby school. Senior minister Harold Percy, who is also on staff with Wycliffe College’s Institute for Evangelism, was away leading evangelism seminars at the time and could not be reached for comment.
A 17-year-old youth was arrested and charged with break and entry and arson, according to police reports.
The fire followed in a series of recent blazes. Besides the three Toronto fires the previous week (see story above), the sanctuary of North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg was destroyed shortly before Easter, apparently due to arson. And a Church of the Nazarene in Calgary was also damaged in a fire last month.
–ChristianWeek staff
