Destruction after a major fire

Last Sunday, July 27, 2025, the church building of the congregation of The United Methodist Church in Padina (Serbia) was largely destroyed by a major fire. 

It had been extremely hot in recent days and hundreds of fires had raged throughout the country. Early on Sunday morning, July 27, 2025, a fire also broke out in the attic of the congregation of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Padina (Serbia) and spread very quickly. The cause is unclear - it is suspected that there was a technical fault in the electrical installation.
 
The entire roof burned down and the central part of the building - where the sanctuary was located - collapsed. The fact that the ceiling was not made of concrete, but of wood, hay and clay, also contributed to the collapse of the roof. The ceiling above the apartment remained intact, but due to the water damage caused by the firefighting work, it eventually began to collapse there, too, and had to be torn down for safety reasons.
 
Superintendent Daniel Sjanta said: "We are all devastated. Everything, absolutely everything is destroyed. We were only able to get a few pieces of furniture to safety, and the kitchen in the newer part of the building was also saved."
 
No one was injured in the fire - but the shock not only for the UMC congregation in Padina, but for the UMC throughout the country, is deep-seated.
 
The clean-up work has begun - and will continue for quite some time. Many members and friends of the UMC far beyond Padina are involved. However, it is still too early to think about a way forward beyond these sad and challenging days.
 
Please pray for the people of the UMC in Padina and throughout the country. If you would like to help the UMC in Serbia financially, please send your donation to Advance # 00229A Serbia In Mission Together (designation «Fire Padina»). For further information, please contact – for capacity reasons – the Office of Bishop Stefan Zürcher in Zurich (urs.schweizer@umc-cse.org).
 
Source: Superintendent Daniel Sjanta / Urs Schweizer, Assistant to the Bishop