How is the Windber Church of the Nazarene congregation doing since Sunday's fire?
Sunday morning’s sermon came in a very different format for the Windber Church of the Nazarene’s lay pastor and congregation.
Instead of gathering in the morning for a time of worship and instruction, church members met Sunday afternoon with their pastor and district superintendent to survey the damage done to their church building, find important insurance papers and to thank the Windber Fire Department for their efforts in protecting the community.
What happened:Windber church damaged in early morning fire
“Praise God that no one was inside,” said Marcia Thornton, the church’s pianist and board secretary. She said she was especially concerned about the status of the church’s piano and organ.
“God has to have a plan for this. He promised us that he would get us through any trials — and this is definitely a trial.”
The church, at Ninth Street and Graham Avenue, was hit by lightning early Sunday morning, sparking a fire that caused significant damage to the 111-year-old brick building.
Lay pastor Mike Long said the lightning strike hit the roof at the back of the church sanctuary, which faces Graham Avenue. The back half of the church roof sustained heavy damage, and there was smoke and water damage through much of the church sanctuary.
Long, Thornton and Jackie Saylor, church treasurer, were escorted into the building by Windber Fire Department personnel. The church's district superintendent, the Rev. Dan Eddings of the Pittsburgh District Church of the Nazarene, and his wife, Deb, were there as well.
In addition to the status of the building, the group was very concerned about the condition of the fireman who was injured during the incident. Windber Fire Chief Anson Bloom said the fireman was treated for a minor injury and was doing well.
As they looked over the damage, Long thanked the firemen for their efforts to put out the fire and protect the homes of the people who live close to the church.
“Thanks so much,” he said. “You guys had to protect the community. I’m in awe of what you guys did last night.”
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Church history
The Windber Church of the Nazarene has owned and worshipped in the tan brick building since 1981, Thornton and Saylor said.
Before that, the building served a local congregation of the United Methodist Church — but its origins in Windber date back to the early part of the 20th century.
The building was completed and dedicated in 1911 by the Windber congregation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, according to an article in the book “History of the Allegheny Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ,” which was published in 1931 by J.S. Fulton. The building cost $7,000 to construct.
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Church merged in 1946 to become the Evangelical United Brethren, aka EUB. The EUB then merged with the Methodist Church in 1968 to become the United Methodist Church.
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Next steps
In the back of the church sanctuary, the fire melted the lead in several original stained-glass windows, leaving shards of clear and colored glass lying on the carpeted floor. Ceiling tiles, insulation and charred timber lies on the water-soaked carpet and hung from the rafters, exposing a large hole in the sanctuary roof.
Thornton was relieved that both the piano and the organ seemed to be salvageable, as the pulpit and chancel area appeared to have little damage.
“I’m not as discouraged as I was before,” she said as she prepared to leave the church.
Long replied, “Don’t be. We’ll figure it out.”
Eddings said that the church’s insurance company has been informed, and its assessment of the building’s condition will determine the congregation’s decisions moving forward.
“We’ve got some initial decisions we’re going to have to make, things like where they’re going to meet next Sunday,” he said. “We’ll be working out those details in the next couple of days.
“A church is so much more than a building. I like to say that the building is the clothes that the church wears in the community. That’s what people think of, but we’re so much more than this building, and the congregation wants to continue to be part of this community. It will impact our decisions down the road about what we do, because we have to say if we’re going to do this, how does that impact the community? So the community is a good focal point on what we’ll be looking at as we make (those) decisions.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Windber Church of the Nazarene congregation reacts to church fire
