NORTH SYRACUSE -- A church in North Syracuse, damaged over the weekend, has found a temporary place to worship.
Police say 24-year-old Florindo Pascarella rammed into the Bellewood Baptist Church early Sunday morning. The car caught on fire and the fire spread to the church causing a lot of damage.
The church is going to need extensive repairs from top to bottom. The roof is coming down and there's lots of smoke and water damage inside. The church was built in the 1970s, but there's a part of the building, which was once a house, that was built in 1856 and that also has smoke damage. Pastor Hallenbeck says the repairs will take months, and it won't be until after winter until they are back in.
Pastor Hallenbeck says they are moving forward. He said, "We're beginning to look at is as an opportunity."
This Sunday parishioners will go to St.Thomas Church in North Syracuse. They have offered their building to use. Parishioners will be meeting there for worship at 11 o'clock Sunday morning.
