Fire damages Montgomery County church

Pastor Butch Kuykendall and 15 members of his church went to Biloxi, Miss., last month to help Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild their lives. Today, they confront the task of rebuilding an integral part of their own lives: the Zwingli United Church of Christ.

Kuykendall and some of his congregants watched yesterday while much of their Souderton church went up in flames after midnight, causing heavy damage and taking more than four hours to control.

The Souderton Fire Department was joined by 16 companies from surrounding boroughs and townships, Souderton Fire Chief Al Sergio Jr. said, to fight a blaze that inflicted extensive damage to the small education wing and church office behind the sanctuary.

The sanctuary itself emerged in good shape, suffering only minor smoke and water damage. But the roofs of the education and office buildings collapsed, leaving behind charred remains and the still-potent smell of smoke yesterday afternoon.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. One firefighter was taken to Grand View Hospital in Sellersville for heat exhaustion, a Montgomery County dispatcher said.

"When I got here, it was kind of this feeling of its being surreal," said Kuykendall, who arrived shortly after midnight and stayed until 4 a.m. with a small group of congregants near the back of the church. "As we were talking, we were supporting each other and saying it was just a building and the ministry is really the church, and saying that God would see us through this tragedy."

Kuykendall said plans have been made to have tomorrow's 9 a.m. service in the parking lot behind the church, with tents set up in case of rain or oppressive heat and chairs donated by the Souderton Fire Department.

Kuykendall said it "will not be like one of our normal services," as a couple of members will speak and time will be allotted for the congregation to ask questions and talk about the fire.

"My guess is that it'll be emotional," he said.

Church members and residents of this small borough in northern Montgomery County stopped by throughout the day, circling the caution tape that lined the church's perimeter as they surveyed the damage.

"Everyone's in total shock right now," said Tanya Yoder, a longtime member who, with daughter Morgan, was joined yesterday by fellow member Karen Tierney and her daughter, Haley. "It's a small church, but it's a mighty church. There's a lot of people that will come together and make whatever that needs to be done done."

Kuykendall, who has been with the church for 10 years, counts its membership at roughly 450, with a "fairly active" group of 200.

The church was founded in Telford in 1887, and moved to its current location on Wile Avenue in 1962.