A special event that is designed to bring churches and people in the community closer together after a disastrous fire will be held Sunday at Aiken's First Baptist Church and will be broadcast live on TV and online.
The Glover Grove Phoenix Unity Service will start at 4 p.m. and last about an hour.
Residents unable to attend may view the service live on Atlantic Broadband Channel 12 and on the Aiken Standard's website aikenstandard.com, just click on the special coverage bar.
The speakers will include the Rev. Bobby Jones, pastor of Warrenville's Glover Grove Missionary Baptist Church, which burned down in June.
Agents with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division were unable to determine the exact origin or cause of the Glover Grove fire. They "observed no element of criminal intent," according to a press release.
Also scheduled to speak during the Unity Service are the Rev. Paul Bush, president of the Concerned Ministers Fellowship and pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, and the Rev. Grant Wiseman, rector of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church.
Light refreshments will be served after the service on the grounds of Aiken's First Baptist Church, 120 Chesterfield St. N.
Glover Grove, a predominantly black church, has 50 active members. Its post-fire worship services are being conducted at Christ Central Ministries Aiken/Graniteville's Hope Center.
The Glover Grove Phoenix Fund, which is part of the Glover Grove Phoenix Project, was established soon after the fire to raise money to rebuild Glover Grove church.
Contributions to the fund can be made at any branch of Security Federal Bank. Donations also can be mailed to Security Federal Bank, P.O. Box 810, Aiken, SC 29802.
For more information about the Unity Service, call 803-761-3109 or email wazzujuan@hotmail.com.
Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013.