Bishop could face life in prison after he is accused of setting fire to historic church that was synagogue

A Kentucky pastor accused of setting fire to a historic building that once housed his church — originally built as a synagogue to serve the largest Jewish congregation in Kentucky in the 1920s — could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of the crime.

At the time of the fire on March 13, 2021, the building was on the market for sale but it was last occupied by Greater New Hope Community Church, led by Bishop Jonathan Mullins. That church operates under the name Renewed Hope Community Church.

A news release from the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney of Jefferson County cited by the Courier Journal said Mullins was indicted on one count of first-degree arson by a grand jury Monday for the fire that left one firefighter injured.

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Mullins "is alleged to have started the fire based on evidence uncovered in the investigative process," said the release, which noted that the bishop could serve 20 to 50 years or life in prison if he is convicted of the charge.

Prior to the building being used as a church, it served as the old synagogue for the Keneseth Israel congregation which was formed in 1926 by the merging of the B'Nai Jacob and Beth Hamadrash Hagodel congregations. It was the largest Jewish congregation in Louisville at the time, according to the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic building had to be demolished on Oct. 8, 2021, because the fire had left the building with significant structural damage, according to the Jewish Federation of Louisville.

“It was determined that there was structural damage, that it couldn’t be corrected, and people were coming and going from the building,” Ed Wampler, general manager of CDS Demolition, which razed the old synagogue told the federation. “It was really a hazard and a liability, so the decision was made to go ahead and take it down.”

At the time of the demolition Rabbi Ben Freed of Keneseth Israel, which is now in a new location, lamented the loss of the building.

“Even having only been in town for a few months, I have come to understand how important Keneseth Israel’s history is to its members, many of whom grew up at the old KI building downtown,” Freed said. “While we are sad to see the building demolished, we will cherish the memories from that period of Keneseth Israel’s history as we look towards building a bright future together.”

Sharon Hordes of Keneseth Israel  told WDRB on Monday that their community is still mourning the loss of the building.

“Their community is still mourning the loss of this building that even though they haven’t been housed there in so many years, even though it didn’t belong to us, it still did in some ways in people’s hearts,” she said. “Many people have grandparents and great-grandparents who helped to build that building … so there’s a huge attachment.”