THOMASVILLE, Ga. -
Members of a south Georgia congregation are planning their next steps after their church building collapsed.
Church members gathered on Labor Day morning at a pile of rubble that housed St. Thomas AME Church in Thomasville for the past 88 years.
The Thomasville Times-Enterprise reports (http://bit.ly/RGFaOp) that children playing nearby heard a loud noise coming from the direction of the church Saturday afternoon.
Pastor Clement Choice's wife, Pat, says church members then discovered that the roof had fallen into to the middle of the building.
No one was injured. Authorities say three nearby houses were evacuated after the collapse when it was feared the church bell tower might fall onto a transformer.
Church members said they've had concerns about structural issues, and had been holding services elsewhere in recent months.
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Information from: Thomasville Times-Enterprise, http://timesenterprise.com/
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
