Congregation of church destroyed by fire finds temporary home

Nov. 17--NANTY GLO -- The congregation of the First Baptist Church of Nanty Glo, which was destroyed by fire earlier this month, will temporarily be relocating three miles down the road.

Beginning Nov. 29, Rev. Geno Bartoletti will be conducting his Sunday sermons at Laurel Mountain Bible Church,

170 Paradise Road, Mundys Corner.

Bartoletti serves as the pastor at both churches, spending the past 61/2 years at First Baptist and the past 11/2 years at Laurel Mountain.

"We're so appreciative of all the offers and options we had, but in the end, when we weighed them all, moving to Laurel Mountain seemed to be the easiest thing to do," Bartoletti said on Monday.

"Everything is already established there and we can go in and hit the ground running."

Bartoletti said Laurel Mountain has a seating capacity of 160. His congregation at First Baptist was around 150, with another 30 at Laurel Mountain.

"We'll have no trouble filling the place up," he said, adding that Sunday school would start at 9:30 a.m., followed by the church service at 11.

If all goes according to plan, Bartoletti believes members of the first Baptist Church could move into a new church at their old site at 955 Second St., Nanty Glo, around this time next year.

"We're being told that next November is a very strong possibility, but only God knows for sure," he said.

A state police fire marshal, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said last week the fire at the church originated on the first floor.

However, because of extensive damage, an exact cause could not be determined. Arson was ruled out.

"I was baptized here and this is the only church I've ever gone to," said Randy Howard, a lifelong member of First Baptist Church, as well as a board member. "There's just a handful of us left."

Bartoletti continues to meet with state and local authorities regarding insurance claims at First Baptist.

"We're just trying to see when we might be able to bring the building down and begin our new site preparation," Bartoletti said. "We want to build right here on this site in Nanty Glo.

"This is our location."

"Moving to Mundys Corner is only a temporary situation -- I want people to understand that.

"We're not just going to merge up there and then bulldoze this place and forget about it."

The First Baptist Church will hold its third and final church service at the nearby Nanty Glo fire hall Sunday, with a Thanksgiving dinner to follow.

"We've invited all (six) fire companies that fought this fire to come and join us for the service and the Thanksgiving dinner afterward," Bartoletti said.

"We really appreciate all of their efforts."

Ron Musselman is a columnist and reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @ronmusselman8.

Ron Musselman is a reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter at @ronmusselman8.

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