Douglas churches undergo demolition, repairs after arson

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Douglas is being demolished, while the First Presbyterian Church is undergoing asbestos abatement and the shoring up of its walls, following arson committed in May.

Brad Munroe, a presbytery pastor, said First Presbyterian has at least two, maybe three, good walls that can be saved and that it may take up to seven months for them to complete the abatement and reinforcement of the walls. Reconstruction cannot begin until this is completed.

In the meantime, Munroe said the church services are being held at a Catholic church in Douglas. Munroe did not know which specific church.

“The church is the people, even though we love and hold dear memories of a building,” Munroe said. “The process of reconstruction will take time — perhaps as long as 18 months — and will require deliberative conversations about what and how to rebuild.”

The Right Rev. Jennifer A. Reddall, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, stated that St. Stephen’s didn’t know what the decision on the church’s demolition would be. However, after receiving the structural engineering report, she clarified that demolition was the only option because there was nothing structurally sound left of the church.

Reddall said the arsonist “did a very thorough job of burning our church down. We didn’t have a choice.”

Reddall said the church is exploring what buildings it needs to serve its community, although the exact plan remains uncertain at this time. In the interim, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church holds its Sunday worship services at 11:15 a.m. at the Methodist Church. Reddall explained the church’s Parish Hall is still standing, but it can’t be used for worship until demolition is complete, a process she estimated will take a couple more weeks.

“This first thing we really need to do is get the remains of the church demolished because our water source was underneath the church and it melted during the fire,” Reddall said. “Until we get the demolition done and can get our water hooked up again, we don’t have the ability to use the rest of our property.”

Court documents said the suspect in the arson, Eric Ridenour, had both sexist and homophobic motivations behind the church fire arsons.

Reddall said though there is grief within the congregation in regard to the demolition, there are also new beginnings.

“As Christians, we are people of resurrection. We are people that say after death there is new and even fuller life, and my hope and prayer is that this is what this congregation, the St. Stephen’s community, will be experiencing.”

Both churches say they are pursuing their respective plans to serve both their congregations and the community’s best interests.