'I feel for those behind church attack, come and talk to us'

Police are treating a large fire at a church in Greenisland, County Antrim, as arson.

Parishioners in Greenisland said they were in shock after a large blaze at the Church of the Holy Name on Sunday evening.

The church leaders have called upon those behind the arson attack to come and talk to them.

Firefighters are still at the scene of the blaze at the Church of Ireland building in Station Road.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it left the scene on Monday afternoon, but later returned as some of the debris continued to smoulder.

In a statement, the church said it was "heartbroken but also so thankful - to the fire crews, to the local community, to our neighbours who sounded the alarm, and so thankful that no-one was hurt".

On Monday, the Reverend Dr Izzy Hawthorne-Steele said she was "totally devastated".

"Having been in such a high to be brought down to such a low," Rev Hawthorne-Steele added.

She said there had been a memory wall in the church which had original photographs, including a couple who had their wedding album of 60 years, all of which were gone.

"I’m not angry I’m just thankful that we are a people that can trust on God to bring us through this."

"I call upon those who started [the fire] to come and talk to us. I feel for them," Dr Hawthorne-Steele said.

On Sunday evening, a statement on Greenisland Parish Church's social media said there was a "terrible fire" and that fire crews were "desperately trying to stop it from spreading to the whole building".

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it received report of a fire on Station Road at about 21:10 BST.

“Officers along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire Service attended and the blaze was extinguished," a spokesperson said.

"The church was celebrating its 70th anniversary this week, and last night was busy in particular. Thankfully no one was injured, however a significant amount of damage was caused to both buildings".

At the scene, BBC News NI reporter Gráinne Connolly

After a weekend of celebrations, this was the last thing the people of Greenisland expected to wake up to this morning.

The Greenisland Parish Church of Ireland celebrated its anniversary and had a weekend filled with music, entertainment, food - something for the whole community.

But then late last night word started to trickle through the community about a major fire at the church.

Firefighters battled all night but the operation has since been significantly scaled back, now two fire engines remain at the scene.

People on their way to work or on their morning walk have been stopping to look at the damage in disbelief. Parishioners have also been out to examine the aftermath and say they’re shocked and devastated this morning, and hope their beloved church can be salvaged.

They said there are no words to even describe what’s happened.

Fire Service Assistant Group Commander Andy Deal said at the height of the blaze nine fire appliance and about 50 firefighters were at the scene.

"It initially came through as a wheelie bin fire, but unfortunately it spread to the church hall, causing damage to parts of the church and also parts of the shop," he said.

"The church hall is completely devastated, but through the tireless efforts of the Fire and Rescue Service they've managed to salvage and save the main church area and save the majority of the shop."

He added: "The police have confirmed this was arson, that was our initial thought."

The Church of Ireland Bishop of Connor, the Rt Rev George Davison, said: “In the days to come we will have a better picture of what will be needed to restore and replace what has been damaged and we will work to rebuild this place of worship.

"I want to say clearly though, that the Church of the Holy Name is not a burnt building. it is a vibrant group of people who love their God and love the community He has given them to serve.

"They are devastated, but they are also strong and courageous, and they will continue to worship together and reach out to others with Christ’s message of forgiveness and hope."

Parishioner Patrick Houston said the fire was a "devastation for the area".

"I can’t believe that anything like this could happen. I seemed to be just a day when Greenisland was coming into its own and everybody was enjoying themselves and to arrive here this morning to see this – you just can’t put it into words," Mr Houston said.

Many members of his family have worked in the church over the years.

"We are well soaked into this place and for them to find out about this happening after all this time is devastating," he added.

Alliance Party councillor Aaron Skinner commended the work of firefighters but described the scene as "horrendous".

Mr Skinner said the fire could not have come at a worse time, with the Church of Ireland parish celebrating its 70th anniversary at the weekend.

He said some parishioners told him they were at the church just hours before the fire began.

Mr Skinner said the church hall, which is attached to the main church building, looked like it had been completely destroyed and that the full scale of the damage may not be known for hours.

The Bishop of Connor the Right Reverend George Davison said he had been at the church at the weekend for the 70th anniversary celebrations and returned on Sunday evening after hearing about the "terrible fire".

"It was heart-breaking to watch and to stand with so many parishioners who couldn’t quite believe what we were witnessing," he said.

"I’m so thankful that no-one was hurt and very grateful to the members of the Fire Service and the PSNI for all their efforts."