Pipe bursts during Mass on Christmas Day

Christmas Day services at One Church in Elmont were suddenly interrupted when a pipe burst, gushing water from the church’s ceiling and causing extensive damage to the building, officials said.

The church’s Christmas play had just concluded and its pastor, the Rev. Cecil Mathew, was getting ready to deliver his Christmas message to the crowd when some congregants noticed water pouring out of the ceiling in the lobby.

“There was this big commotion, and some people just scrambling a little bit,” Mathew said. “Then I heard a loud thud, and the water just started gushing out of the ceiling.”

Due to freezing temperatures outside on Dec. 25, a sprinkler pipe burst and started to flood the lobby of the building, located at 657 Meacham Ave., Mathew said. The water flowed into the church’s sanctuary as well, causing significant damage, church officials said.

Many of the churchgoers quickly sprang into action and tried to prevent further damage. Some tried to find the valve to shut off the water supply, while others grabbed brooms, mops, shovels, or whatever they could find to stem the tide and push the water out of the lobby as soon as possible. No one was reported injured during the incident, officials said.

“It was a sad, disheartening moment, but it was also a moment where we saw the church come together, get stronger and just be an awesome community,” Mathew said.

Pastor Georgy Vrughese described the scene as “shocking,” with church officials and congregants scrambling around. He said he did what he could to make sure those in the church were safe.

Amidst the unfortunate incident, Vrughese said the best thing to come out of the experience was witnessing congregants working together during an emergency.

“We had a lot of guests and new faces, and it was cool to see the new faces and the guests put their hands and feet to work and help us out,” he said.

One Church has been dealing with the aftermath of the flood, and Mathew said so far the entire carpet in the sanctuary area of the building has been ripped out and the ceilings in the lobby have been torn down as well. Church officials said an initial assessment placed damages at about $50,000.

During the height of the pandemic, One Church, formerly known as The First Church of God, underwent a complete revamp and rededication, which was unveiled in the spring of 2022. Mathew said those renovations cost around $500,000, and this was the first in-person Christmas Day service in more than two years.

The First Church of God was originally started in Brooklyn by Mathew’s grandfather in the 1970s to accommodate the rising Indian population in the U.S. and is part of the larger Church of God organization, which includes several churches of the Pentecostal domination.

One Church has received clearance for congregants to continue to meet, and Mathew said New Year’s services are still scheduled for this weekend.

Those who learned of the pipe burst and damages reached out to Mathew to offer words of encouragement and financial donations. He said during this difficult time, every little bit of support helps.

When the pipe burst, Vrughese and church officials unplugged all electrical devices for safety reasons and made sure all the equipment was protected. They said they wanted to make sure everything was up and running in time for the first service of 2023.

“We’re not letting this little, small little hurdle hold us back,” Vrughese said. “We’re just excited to continue having service even if we don’t have any carpet or some sheetrock missing. We’re going to keep going.”