NJ Church Destroyed In 4-Alarm Fire Monday, Officials Say

VINELAND, NJ - A four-alarm fire that ripped through a South Jersey church earlier this week has rendered the structure completely unusable and in need of demolition, officials said.

The blaze at the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Evangelical Church on Chestnut Avenue in Vineland was reported Monday night, clergy members said. The building will need to be razed due to integral structural damage sustained in the fire.

No injuries were reported. A cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

“This church was a safe place in the community where people from all walks of life could congregate, pray, and become closer to God,” Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland) said in a statement Tuesday. “For those who lost their home and place of worship, you have my support for the recovery efforts that are underway to help restore this great church.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser has since been launched for the reconstruction of the church. As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser has garnered $1,300 of its $500,000 goal.

“We also would like to thank the owners of the Pizza Hut at 301 S Main Rd. We were standing in the parking lot, drenched by the pouring rain as we watched the fire blaze,” clergy officials said in a statement. “They voluntarily left the comfort of their homes to come unlock their building to provide us shelter and a comfortable place for VOD members to gather throughout the entire night.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe here.

The church added that it has received several calls from other area congregations offering up their facilities for VOD’s use. Alternate locations have yet to be announced.