A man was preparing to serve the homeless when he was run over by the church van.
New Beginning’s World Outreach Center’s associate pastor Henry Lineberger was checking engine fluids while the van was in neutral, and apparently forgot to set the emergency break, according to reports.
The van started sliding backward, and police believe Lineberger was trying to stop the van before he was pinned underneath.
“When we first pulled up, we thought there was a tree down and they were blocking the road with the van,” Environmental Services worker Joey Colecio tells Blue Ridge Now. “So as we backed up to go back around, Chris (Barnwell) noticed that it looked like there was an arm under there. … Chris got out of the truck and I called 911.”
Lineberger had checked in with the church secretary and was preparing to pick up food to pass out to people involved in the food ministry.
Lineberger was in charge of the food ministry, which delivers donated food to people in need, and volunteered to deliver it weekly.
The church website says Lineberger was passionate about health, nutrition research and spending time outdoors.
“He was like our brother,” New Beginnings member Sarah Snyder tells WHKP News. “He always had open arms for everyone. We all will miss him greatly.”
“He will be missed. Always greeted people, always had such a positive attitude,” Sherry Leyva, another church member, tells WLOS. “You could be negative and he would get you positive again. Yeah, you can’t replace that man. You can’t replace him.”
New Beginnings is an Assemblies of God Church based in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
Please keep his family and church in your prayers.
