A Flint man faces federal charges including arson after authorities said he purposefully set fire to a church in an “attack against Christians.”
Billy Chambers, 63, is accused of setting fire to St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Flint last August. The church was unable to hold services at the building for about two months following the fire, authorities said.
“This alleged attempt to burn down a church is yet another attack against Christians. But the Department of Justice will protect all Americans and their right to worship without fear,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. in a press release.
Court records list Bryan Sherer as Chambers’ attorney. Sherer didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
Fire erupted at St. Mark in the eary morning hours of Aug. 30, 2025, authorities said. Investigators concluded it was intentionally set.
Surveillance cameras showed a suspect starting the blaze. Authorities said he brought a gas can wrapped in a black trash bag to the church, then used the gas and an “ignition device” to set the building on fire.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later raided Chambers’ home and found clothing and shoes that he allegedly wore on the day of the arson, according to a complaint filed Friday in Detroit’s federal court. Chambers allegedly told investigators during the raid that he had just finished smoking crack cocaine when they arrived.
He is charged with arson, obstruction of persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs and arson to commit a federal offense. He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of any number of years behind bars if he’s convicted, officials said.
“Setting fire to a house of worship is a deliberate attack on our community and an assault on one of our most fundamental freedoms in this country,” said James Deir, special agent in charge of the Detroit division of the ATF. “Billy Chambers’ alleged actions in this case are deeply disturbing, vile, and completely unacceptable.”
Chambers is scheduled to return to court Wednesday for a detention hearing, online court records show.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Flint church set ablaze in 2025; now feds have charged man with arson
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
