ELLEN MCNAMARA
ABC ActionNews
Reprinted with Permission

ST. PETERSBURG - A number of agencies are trying to figure out what started a fire at the Stewart Isom Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg on Friday morning.


Just before 6 a.m., someone in the neighborhood saw smoke coming from the sanctuary and called 911.

More than 50 firefighters showed up to battle the blaze, but wooden pews helped the flames spread quickly. Firefighters had to back out of the building and break the stained glass windows to let the heavy smoke escape.

Lt. Joel Granata with St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue says the sanctuary appears to be a total loss.

For church members, the sanctuary represents the soul of their congregation.

"You never want anything to happen to the place in which you worship, because it's a symbol of the God you worship," Pastor Marvin Lou Jr. said.

The pastor just accepted another job with a church in Miami, but for the last year, he has led about 50 members in worship.

10 year old Meoshia Dillon has grown up at the church. She sings in the kids choir and hopes her favorite building was not destroyed by an arsonist.

Lt. Granata says arson is a possibility, but the cause of the blaze has not been determined.

Anytime a fire happens at a church, state and federal authorities are called in to assist local agencies. Lt. Granata says he's confident the extra sets of eyes will help with the investigation.

While the agencies continue investigating the cause, the pastor says the congregation will rebuild.

"This can be a new beginning, a new life, a new start for us, but we cannot avoid the obvious that this hurts," Pastor Lue Jr. said.

Because leadership has changed at the church, leaders are trying to figure out what insurance coverage the church has.