By Associated Press
Birmingham, AL – It has been nearly eleven months since nine Alabama churches were set on fire by three Birmingham college students, but there remains a lot of rebuilding work ahead. By late 2007, those nine churches expect to be restored or have larger, more modern facilities. Of the three Bibb County churches burned to the ground on February Third, one has been mostly rebuilt and the others are still planning their structures. Two other Bibb County churches sustained minor damage and were able to resume worship in their facilities. The four churches that were set ablaze February Seventh in Pickens, Sumter and Greene counties have made progress. The arsonists, Matthew Cloyd, Russell DeBusk and Ben Moseley, pleaded guilty and face seven to eight years in federal prison. The three met as students at Birmingham-Southern. Cloyd had transferred and was a U-A-B student at the time of the fires. Pastors at the churches have said they feel sympathy for the arsonists. They have also been touched by the outpouring of support and donations from local communities and from the students, faculty and alumni of Birmingham-Southern.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)