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St. David's, Topeka, begins recovery after arson fire

By Melodie Woerman
Diocesan director of communications

	Fire damage is evident on the wall between the chapel (to the right) and nave of St. David's, Topeka, the morning after an arson fire damaged the church. Photos by Melodie Woerman

TOPEKA (Nov. 11) - The people of St. David’s Episcopal Church, Topeka, are beginning to cope with news that a fire that caused extensive damage to the nave and chapel early on Nov. 10 had been intentionally set. But just 24 hours after the fire was extinguished parishioners had begun the process of counting the losses and cleaning up the mess.And while sad to lose their worship space, senior warden Margaret Telthorst said parishioners mostly were anxious to get moving.

An announcement Friday afternoon by fire officials that the blaze was caused by arson gave members only momentary pause, she said. “It was unexpected news and hard to hear,” she said, “but within an hour it didn’t matter. People said, ‘This happened, we are going to deal with it, we are going to move on. Just tell us what we need to do.’”

Teams of parishioners with particular knowledge of the building gathered on Saturday morning to see what could be salvaged, assisting a professional cleaning company with experience in fire recovery.

Damage inside the church proper was extensive. The interior of the nave, including the pews, weren’t harmed by flame but were affected by heavy smoke and debris from the firefighting efforts. The wall between the chapel and nave was heavily charred by fire. The church’s one-of-a-kind tracker organ, located in the choir loft in the back of the church and valued in excess of $250,000, is a total loss.

	Pews inside St. David's, Topeka, are intact but with visible smoke damage.

The parish’s signature 15-foot-tall “Christus Rex” bronze cross on the wall behind the altar was hanging in its place Saturday morning but with visible stains. One stained glass window in the nave was lost during firefighting efforts, and others were damaged, including panels on the windows near the altar. The sacristy and its contents were intact, and vestments inside a cabinet showed few effects from the fire. Whether pews and other items in the church proper could be salvaged was unknown.

Fire officials have estimated the damage at $2.5 to $3 million. The parish’s rector, the Rev. Don Davidson, said he believes the entire loss will be covered by insurance.

Several churches offered space for Sunday services. The community will worship at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12 at Faith Lutheran Church, located across the street from St. David’s. Davidson said he wanted this service to be in the neighborhood, so people could be near their church. Grace Cathedral, Topeka, provided altar linens and vestments, and Faith Lutheran offered other items needed for the liturgy.

This marks the second time Faith Lutheran Church has provided St. David’s with a home. Episcopalians met there for several months in 1952 before the present parish hall, which served as the congregation’s first church, was built.

Telthorst said a decision will be made in a few days about future worship locations. She said parish leaders will look at several places offered to them to see which would allow the congregation to get back to as a normal a schedule of worship and Christian education as possible.

Heavy smoke hampered firefighting
Early reports indicate that the fire started in the chapel and traveled up a wall into the ceiling, where it ran the length of the building. When firefighters arrived they had difficulty attacking the fire because of heavy smoke. They cuts holes in the nave roof to help release the smoke, and at one point those efforts caused small flames to appear through holes. Firefighters doused the blaze inside the church with water and foam.

Smoke pours from the roof of St. David's, Topeka, as firefighters tried to clear the church interior so they could attack the flames.

At one point 14 fire trucks were involved in the response, and four firefighters from a neighboring town were called in to assist. Topeka Fire Chief Greg Bailey said about 80 firefighters helped fight the fire.

Fire investigators included the state fire marshal’s office; the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. ATF involvement is automatic with a church fire, an agent reported. That agency had begun its investigation by afternoon.

The fire was reported at 5:20 a.m., and within an hour more than a dozen members of the parish, along with Davidson and Deacon Harry Craig, had gathered across the street to watch the scene. Capital City Bank opened their vestibule to provide protection from the cold and later invited clergy, parishioners and fire officials inside for coffee and to use the phone and meeting rooms.

Davidson received regular updates from fire officials and then relayed information to anxious members.

By 7:30 a.m. Bishop Dean Wolfe had arrived to provide help and spiritual support. He and Canon to the Ordinary Mary Siegmund comforted parishioners and conferred with fire officials.

The bishop led those gathered in a time of prayer and offered words of reassurance to them. Pointing across the street to the smoking structure he said, “This is our house, but it is not our home. It is our building, but we are the church.” He encouraged people to “lean on each other and on God” in the coming weeks and said, “We are going to be different, and by God’s grace we are going to be better.”

St. David’s owns a house next door to the church and is moving its offices there. Parishioners had the opportunity to gather there Friday evening and again Saturday afternoon, providing time to talk, grieve and reminisce.

The parish was started in 1952, and the church building was completed in the early 1960s. It has 610 members with an average Sunday attendance of 230, making it the sixth largest parish in the diocese.