The sun shone today through a yawning hole in the roof, onto a blackened pingpong table in the youth group room at Conestoga Mennonite Church near Churchtown.

Nearby, rivulets of gray soot ran down the walls outside the sanctuary.

The Caernarvon Township church sustained about $1 million damage during an early Sunday morning fire, possibly caused by a lightning strike.

But hours after firefighters had doused the last flame, members set up chairs under a portico and held church services outside Sunday morning, joining together to sing and pray.

And today, members trickled into the damaged church to see if they could help with the cleanup.

"The church is not the building," said the Rev. James Wenger, the church's pastor, one of the first to arrive. "The church is the people."

The people of the church are thankful that no one was killed or badly injured during the fire, and that about 100 volunteer firefighters gathered in the middle of the night to put out the fire, he said.

Today, Wenger said, "There is a real sense of rallying and a sense of hope."

The fire started at about midnight in the the L-shaped church building, in the classroom and office wing where it did the worst damage.

Wenger said firefighters believe the fire may have been sparked by a lightning strike during a storm on Saturday. The building may have smoldered and then caught fire.

A state police fire marshal ruled the fire's cause was accidental in nature, but the investigation is continuing.

Passing motorists, including some church members, reported the fire after seeing flames coming from the church, which is on Route 23, just a few miles from the Berks County border.

One of the members was Cassie Beam, 20, who was returning home from a friend's house.

"She was coming east on 23 and could see the glow," her mother, Bonnie Beam, said today. "She was hoping it wasn't the church."

The word went out quickly. Wenger's phone rang at his Chester County home.

"I had just gone to sleep," he said. "It sort of felt like a dream."

Over the next few hours, 25 to 30 church members gathered to watch firefighters, who included two of their own.

One of them, Daniel Mast, went into the youth group room and salvaged some Bible quiz trophies and treasured photos from retreats.

In the classroom and office area, part of the roof was gone and debris filled a hallway today. Insulation spilled from a damaged ceiling. Wooden hangers that once held Sunday-best coats sported a heavy coat of soot. Ashes filled drinking fountains and covered carpeting.

The sanctuary looked better but had smoke damage and smelled heavily of the fire.

Workers from Compleat Restoration were busy early today, packing books in the church library and planning the cleanup.

Built in 2001, the church has about 100 active members. They are hoping they will be able to meet in their fellowship hall while repairs and cleanup are done.

Most of the restoration will be done by professionals, but members were ready to do what they could.

"There's a willingness to help," said member Lemar Mast. "People are saying, 'When can we do something? Do you need help?' "

"God has helped us in the past," said Mast's wife, Lois Ann. "We know he will continue to lead us."


Staff writer Cindy Stauffer can be reached at cstauffer@LNPnews.com or 481-6024.