His parishioners in the rural region of 25,000 residents voted 2 to 1 for Trump.
But Pastor Rice wasn't worried about who his people voted for in politics. No. He was worried about something so sinister that it was perverting religions.
He was referring to QAnon theories that were infecting small churches across America.
Details emerging from investigations into hundreds of Capitol rioters have cast an unsettling light on the toxic roles that fringe religious beliefs and QAnon conspiracy theories are playing in this nation.
Pastor Rice's fears are matched by recent data.
The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, reported in February that more than a quarter of white evangelicals believe in QAnon lies.
Apparently white evangelicals are the highest of any religious group to adopt QAnon as their new gospel.
Another poll from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, indicated that 49 percent of Protestant pastors often hear congregants repeating conspiracies' about national events.
The disturbing trends led a group of more than 500 influential evangelical pastors, thinkers and faith leaders to publish an open letter recently condemning "radicalized Christian nationalism" and "the rise of violent acts by radicalized extremists using the name of Christ."
It's important to note that the spread of disinformation isn't exclusive to religious groups and is widely seen as a scourge of the internet.
The damage that QAnon and other extremist voices from the pews is testing the power of the preacher against conspiracy theories and outright lies.
This battle for souls will continue to challenge rational people with the devil's advocates as long as they're given a voice.
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