Lightning struck the steeple of Calvary United Methodist Church Friday morning, also causing damage to the church’s roof. (Photo by Kip Schumm)

SYRACUSE — At 9:15 a.m. Friday, July 20, lightning struck the steeple of Calvary United Methodist Church. No injuries were reported.

“My computer screen went black for a second,” said Lori Barsoda, the church’s administrative assistant. “Then it came back on and we went about our business.”

Little Lambs Preschool and Day Care, one of the church’s ministries, was tending children upstairs. “They said they felt the building shake for a moment, but I didn’t feel it,” said Barsoda.

“The lights and electricity never went out,” she said. “We didn’t know about the lightning strike until about an hour later when we saw the debris.”

“There was no interior damage, just a little leaking water,” said David Henry, the church’s pastor. The steeple is located at the southeast corner of the building. Other damage included shingles being blown off halfway across the roof to the north and melted metal along the roof line.

The church’s trustees and administrative council members met Sunday afternoon at Calvary’s sister church, St. Andrews, also located in Syracuse.

“We decided to use the north end of the building,” said Henry.

On Saturday, the church posted a notice on its Facebook page, which included:

“With concern for everyone’s safety, it was the decision of the trustees that the church building remain closed until a structural engineer has looked at the integrity of the steeple.

“It is with deep regret that we cancel services tomorrow, July 22.

“As soon as we have a decision on the building, we will let everyone know. We pray this will happen quickly. The answering machine in the church office will be on and monitored and you can contact Lori at (574) 518-0825 or Pastor Henry at (574) 292-0983 if there is an emergency or concern.”

Other churches and a nearby funeral home offered their facilities for Calvary’s Sunday services. Little Lambs has moved to St. Andrews for the time being.

Henry said the church administration will meet with the insurance adjuster Monday morning. “At that time they will likely let us know what steps they want to take and what steps we should take,” he said.

UPDATE: Pastor Henry said the church’s Sunday morning service for first responders, to be held at 10 a.m. July 29, will take place as scheduled, though the service will be relocated to the church’s fellowship hall.

Debris from the steeple of Calvary United Methodist sprinkled the church’s parking lot Friday. (Photo by Kip Schumm)