Emmanuel Fellowship Church

Emmanuel Fellowship Church is a former Christian church which shared a building at 11012 U.S. Highway 78 in Riverside with the Longview Institute, a religious education program. Both organizations were headed by Ricky Mitchell and his wife, Angela.

On January 12, 2019 the building was destroyed by a fire. Investigators determined that the cause of the fire was arson, and arrested former Pell City Elementary School teacher Heather Whitten on July 31. Based on her statement, a warrant was issued for the Mitchells, who were both charged with first-degree insurance fraud, second-degree arson and criminal conspiracy. Ricky Mitchell died from heart attack shortly before appearing in court.

References

• Robinson, Carol (August 8, 2019) "Alabama pastor and his wife charged in fire at their St. Clair County church". The Birmingham News
• Robinson, Carol (August 27, 2019) "Pastor charged in St. Clair County church fire dies; judge orders body must be preserved." The Birmingham News