VALE, N.C. — A Catawba County congregation will have to find a new place to worship this weekend after county officials declared the Gospel Barn unsafe and ordered it closed over unpermitted electrical work.
The county posted a warning sign on the door of the church to let the congregation know they cannot be there anymore. County officials said that the electrical work that was completed didn’t have the proper permits and inspections for a church.
Members said they only use the barn for about three hours a week to worship.
Lou Abee owns the property where 80 to 100 people gather every Sunday inside the Gospel Barn to worship. Seniors also show up on Wednesdays for a Bible study lunch, but after a county inspection, the barn is now off limits.
“I think it’s a disgrace,” said Lou Abee. “They’re not working against us. They’re working against God.”
The county is concerned that the barn is unsafe and poses a danger, the sign on the door reads.
Lou Abee and her son, Curt Abee, want to build a church on their farm and came up with the idea to temporarily use the barn until that could happen.
They showed Channel 9’s Dave Faherty the five doors and fire extinguishers to keep the congregation safe.
Curt Abee said inspectors could cut the power to the barn and even call the sheriff’s office if it’s used this Sunday.
“I asked about my mother, it’s in her name,” he said. “Are you going arrest a 93-year-old woman for trying to have a Bible study? I know they don’t want to do that.”
He hoped the county would work with his family and said that the electrical work on the barn was not approved.
His mother, who lives feet away, will miss the fellowship with seniors.
“I know to a lot of them,” she said. “It’s an outing for them, and when you get old, you don’t have many outings.”
The local Baptist Association has offered some space over in southern Burke County for church services this weekend.
A spokesperson with the county released a statement regarding the church, saying:
“The Stop Work Order was issued because the electrical work associated with the building was done without permits. The structure would require permits regardless of its use. Catawba County has been in communication with the property owner, who is working on a plan for moving forward. Through offering our assistance to the property owner in finding another location to hold worship service this weekend, the County has learned that alternative arrangements have been made for the near-term.”
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