An overnight fire gutted their quaint, historic church, but shaken parishioners at Yaphank Presbyterian on Long Island remained undaunted in their faith Sunday — moving to an undamaged annex to worship.
“You wish it hadn’t been a fire,” said Gloria Johnson, pastor of the steepled, white-frame church on Main Street, which was built in 1851. “But maybe it’s a message to move on and to think about other ways to serve.”
Suffolk police said the fire was called in to 911 shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday.
Last week, graffiti was found scrawled on the church’s exterior, but authorities said it was unrelated to the blaze.
“The investigation into the fire has been hindered due to the extensive damage to the church, but the cause of the fire has been deemed non-criminal,” a police statement read.
Johnson said her small parish has always emphasized its work beyond the chapel, out in the community.
“But nonetheless, this is where our symbol was. And we really need to — and we will — pull together. And we’ll move on,” she said.
The setback comes at a time when Christians worldwide are preparing to celebrate the birth, death and second coming of Jesus Christ.
“This is really sad,’’ Johnson said.
“This is a small group of people, a community of faith. And they work very hard.
“I said to the folks, ‘Maybe this is our second coming as well.’ ”