BESSEMER CITY, N.C. — A North Carolina pastor is counting his blessings after he, his son, and his grandson made it out of their burning Gaston County home early Saturday morning.
Ray and Angela Goodson have led a small church assembly in Bessemer City for over 10 years. The couple, frequently credited with being the first to help others, is now on the receiving end of help.
“I was in Tennessee and I received a call from my husband saying our house was burning down," Angela Goodson recounted Monday. "The smoke was at chest level, and when my son grabbed my grandson, he picked him up and took him outside. And when he got outside, he had him by his feet. He had carried... where his head was below the smoke.”
Angela Goodson believes it was more just her husband, their son, and their 11-month-old grandson inside the home that night.
“God was there, 10 inches away from the flames, carrying my grandson under the smoke," she said.
A GoFundMe for the family has raised over $2,000 and is on its way toward a goal of $50,000. By Monday, the online fundraiser had received over 30 donations.
The home is boarded up. The family now sleeping in an RV camper, which was brought to the property by one of the many friends, family, and congregation members now supporting the family.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.