December 13, 2010

The United States Christian Commission (USCC), which established a museum in 2005 and built a chapel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 2006, honoring the gospel heroes of the Civil War, experienced tragedy early Friday morning, December 3, when the log chapel was destroyed by an arsonist.

The museum and chapel ministry, which is an effort of Bethel Assembly of God, Littlestown, Pennsylvania, and member John Wega, reaches out to the millions of visitors who come to tour the grounds of the historic Civil War battle of Gettysburg.

According to Wega, who is the director of the museum and chapel, around 3:30 a.m. the chapel was set on fire, with a call to the fire department being reported at 3:37 a.m. "By the time I arrived, a little after 4 a.m., the chapel was in ruins," Wega says.

As burning a church is a federal offense, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) along with the FBI were called in to investigate. The ATF determined the blaze was arson, and has posted a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist.

"The fire was so intense, that the women's shelter behind the chapel caught fire on the second and third floors and blew out windows on the third floor," Wega says. "In addition, the coffee shop and home on either side of the chapel were also fire damaged. It's painful to see the ramifications of evil – the damage typically goes far beyond what we may think."

Wega says that the chapel was insured and he plans to rebuild. "We're standing on the edge of the 150th anniversary commemorating the Civil War in America (2011)," Wega says. "Although we are still recovering from the shock of it [arson], we feel even more committed to God's purpose and calling to share the gospel with those who come to Gettysburg each year. We plan to rebuild and even expand the chapel in the coming year."

One of the surprises Wega shares is that the chapel was one of the lone opportunities for the gospel to be heard in the area. "In today's culture, so much is about ghosts and spiritism in and around Gettysburg (which amassed 51,000 casualties in three days of fighting)," Wega says. "The chapel offered a 24-7 opportunity to come and pray as well as an opportunity to learn of the history and faith that has been virtually left out of the history books."

For more information on the USCC, see its website at http://USCCGettysburg.org. To learn more about Bethel AG, see http://www.bethelag.com.

AG News
Dan Van Veen