We are very grieved to share the news that last night, the home of Ed Beddingfield, pastor of Memorial, Buies Creek, was destroyed in a fire. 

Tragically, Ed's wife, Sarah, did not survive. Their daughter, Shannon, suffered burns and smoke inhilation and is in the ICU burn unit at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill. Ed and his daughter, Meghan, suffered only minor injuries but are grieving and in shock.

A service for Sarah will not be held until Shannon recovers, which could take many weeks. 

CBFNC and the greater Baptist family join Ed and his family in their grief and lift up our prayers on their behalf. We also pray for Memorial Church and Campbell University as they minister directly to the Beddingfields.

Jeff Mathis, pastor of First, Sylva, a church Ed previously served, offers the following prayer on behalf of us all:

Our God in Heaven, on this your day of good news of great joy, we freely confess our shock and horror at learning this terrible news. We pray for Ed this morning as he walks through the valley of the shadow of death. We pray for Shannon and her doctors and nurses as she recovers from her injuries. We pray for Meghan as she seeks to comfort her family and mourns the loss of her mother. This moment, and its timing, feels senseless and dark as pitch. Words cannot express the depth of sorrow that we feel for our friends. Even so, we turn to you asking that you hold this dear family in your protective embrace. May their church family at Memorial Baptist in Buies Creek hold them close in this time of unspeakable pain. And may your power and grace, O God, be sufficient as their path darkens and their sorrows deepen. May the promise of your redemptive power and strength be sufficient for us all, O God. For we know that this day heralds a good news that transcends the darkness of today. Shine in the darkness, O God, forever and ever. Amen.