Parishioners of Trinity United Church of Christ in Indiana Township will gather for the next month at a community center, a funeral home and a neighboring parish to celebrate Sunday services.
Rotating venues will continue for the foreseeable future after the 150-year-old church along Saxonburg Boulevard was partially destroyed by a fire Wednesday afternoon.
“The building isn’t the church,” the Rev. David Mears said. “The people are, and we aren’t going anywhere.”
No one was injured in the blaze, which drew a large emergency response from across the Lower Valley. The fire appeared to have started in the rear attic, where a section of the roof later collapsed.
The cause was ruled accidental by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office.
“It was related to an electrical issue,” said Kasey Reigner, public information officer for the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services.
Mears was able to get inside the building Thursday, where rubble and soot littered the sanctuary, he said.
“It is unsafe,” Mears said, adding that rafters are burnt and falling.
The heat and extensive amount of water caused widespread damage, but portions of the church were spared. None of the windows were broken, Mears said.
“All of the heat was in the roof and attic,” he said. “The blown-in insulation, which was fire retardant, worked. As it fell, it didn’t catch anything else on fire.”
Damage estimates were not available Friday. The restoration committee plans to meet with the insurance adjuster early next week and will likely hire disaster remediators.
Mears vowed to rebuild. A GoFundMe launched Thursday already had drawn more than $21,000 of the $30,000 goal, as of Friday afternoon.
The money will be used to meet the insurance deductible, rent temporary service venues, secure workspaces for church staff and cover other immediate needs.
The worship space will be unusable for at least several months, Mears said. A schedule of rotating locations will be posted to Facebook.
This Sunday, parishioners are invited for a service at 10:30 a.m. in Indiana Township’s Town Hall Community Center, just up the road. Services usually draw a crowd of about 40 people, with countless more viewing livestreams on Facebook and YouTube, Mears said.
The church’s adjoining Sunday school building was largely spared from the fire.
“The attics of the two buildings are not connected,” Mears said.
The ceiling tile sustained water damage, but offices were not damaged and historical records are safe. The interim goal is to host services in the basement fellowship hall after the water damage is rectified.
In the meantime, Mears thanked the community and fellow churches across the area who have reached out in support.
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I’m getting calls, texts and emails all day long. Everyone has been wonderful.”