Port Richmond church struck by lightning faces long road to repair

A church in Port Richmond expects to undergo lengthy renovations after lightning struck its steeple Monday afternoon and started a small blaze that firefighters had to put out.

None of the church’s roughly 80 congregants were in the building at the time of the lightning strike and no one was injured. Church insurance adjusters are expected to estimate the total damage to Grace Episcopal Church and the Incarnation on Wednesday.

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Ken Paul, senior warden of Grace Episcopal, said key components of the church — including the altar and baptismal font — remained unscathed. But the lightning damage extended beyond the fire that destroyed the steeple. The water required to put the fire out flooded the first floor, damaging rugs, floor tiles, and ceiling. Paul described walls damaged by smoke, a basement pantry full of inedible food, and doors that had to be knocked down by the Philadelphia Fire Department.

“It’s basically going to have to be gutted,” said Paul of the room where services are held. “[Wednesday] they’re gonna start tearing up all the floors, removing all the pews, and working their way through all that.”

The necessary repairs come at the heels of an October renovation of the church building that’s more than a century old, said Paul.

Expecting a costly set of repairs, the church launched an online fund-raiser Monday after the fire with an initial goal of raising $10,000 for whatever insurance doesn’t cover.

For the time being, Sunday services will be in the church’s outdoor area, and neighboring Roman Catholic churches have offered their space to congregants.

Still, it’s unclear how certain community events will move forward. Paul, who also runs the Port Richmond Civic Association, said the church is used for monthly community dinners and events like a “backpack festival,” where kids get backpacks stuffed with supplies ahead of the school year. These events are usually held in the gym, said Paul, which will soon be filled with the pews that will have to be removed from the church to redo the flooring.

If there’s a silver lining to be taken from the fire, said Paul, it’s the discovery of a 600-pound bell that was believed to have been removed from the church more than 50 years ago, after it cracked. An engraving on it suggests the bell was forged in 1888, Paul said, and the church will raise money to fix its cracks.

It’s a myth that lightning only strikes the tallest objects, and while it’s hard to know the exact breakdown of the number of churches struck, insurance claims offer a glimpse. Church Mutual Insurance, the leading insurer of religious organizations, reported close to 3,000 lightning strikes between 2015 and 2019 — though that number also includes nonprofits and schools. Damage exceeded $44.5 million.