The state fire marshal's office is expected on site later today to try to determine how the fire started.

A passerby alerted authorities shortly before 2:30 a.m., said Sgt. Bernard Hughes of the McIntyre Police Department. Moseley got a call about the fire at about 3 a.m. today.

"When we got outside and saw it, it was already completely engulfed," Moseley said. "By the time the fire department got here there was nothing they could do."

The congregation plans to save some of the bricks to use to rebuild the church and if possible they want to save the church bell that was sitting among a pile of smoldering embers that was once the sanctuary.

Only the face of the church was standing and small flames were shooting out of the molding bordering the empty hole where the front door used to stand.

Firefighter Billy Matthews said the building was already completely ablaze when he first saw the fire shooting out of the church that has crowned Hill Street near U.S. 441 for more than a century. In recent years, chimes rang every hour and were heard through the community.

"When I pulled up I was watching the steeple fall off of it and, you know, it just makes you sick at your stomach," Matthews said. "It was a tragic loss. The church has been here so long it's just a part of the community and it's just a terrible loss."

Firefighters from McIntyre, Irwinton, Toomsboro, Gordon and High Hills battled the fire for hours in freezing temperatures. By dawn, small icicles hung from the iron railing at the entrance of the brick building.

Chuck Eady drove from Cochran to see what was left of his childhood church.

"It's just where I grew up. (I) came to church with my mother every Sunday, Sunday school and church," Eady said while surveying the charred piles. "It's hard, it sure is."

Virginia Smith Mullis' grandparents helped clear land for the cemetery plot next to the church.

"Grandma and Grandpa Aycock, they loved it," Mullis said after surveying the damage. "It's so sad. So said for 'em to lose something this old and (that) means this much to so many people. You can't understand things -- why, why they happen. You don't know."

Wednesday night the congregation held a worship service that ended at about 7:10 p.m., said Moseley who has served as pastor for six years.

Up until 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, he was sitting at his desk working on a paper for seminary. There wasn't any sign of a problem when Moseley left his office. Hours later hundreds of books went up in smoke along with his computer.

All but one of Moseley's Bibles were in the church when the fire started, he said. This morning, he peered down into the church nursery where the remnants of his office had collapsed from overhead. In the smoking rubble, he saw what appeared to be intact pages from his study Bible.

"We all know that we're going to rebuild the church," Moseley said. "A church is not bricks and wood."

Moseley said he has already gotten offers of several places to hold Sunday's service and will make a decision during tonight's prayer meeting.

"A church is made out of people, so the church is still here even though the building is burned down. We'll have another one and we'll keep going."

Written by The Macon Telegraph