The entrance and exterior of a Clinton Hill church built in 1891 and being used as a homeless shelter and hub for Occupy Sandy relief efforts were charred in a suspicious fire that started just before 4 am Sunday, many news outlets reported. Cans of gas intended for emergency generators were used to start the fire. The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is located at 520 Clinton Avenue. “Why do people do bad things?” the New York Daily News quoted Reverend Chris Ballard, the church’s curate, as saying. “We don’t know and our job is to try to work past that, try to find forgiveness. This is the season of it.” Sunday morning the choir sang outside the church, and services were held at a few blocks away at Brown Memorial Baptist Church. The church will hold Christmas Eve midnight mass tonight at 10 pm. Council Member Tish James sent out a press release stating that a reward of $1,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever set the fire.
Fire Damages Brooklyn Church [NY Times]
Historic Brooklyn Church Damaged in Early Morning Blaze [NY Daily News]
Photo by Vic Nicastro for New York Daily News


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