Pastor Tony Hess was in Erie Monday, still learning about our region, when he learned that his church was burning.
"I was in the store, and my wife runs in the store and says the church is on fire. And I said I have to go," said Hess, the pastor of the Fellowship Bible Baptist Church.
The West Virginian turned Russian missionary raced back to Wattsburg  to find two dozen volunteer firefighters saving the building.
"I am grateful it wasn't half the building engulfed in flames," he said. "It could have been a lot worse."
No one was hurt, and the building can be saved, but the damage is extensive.
"Two sections of the steeple are gone, and the bell is exposed up there," Hess said.
By Tuesday, a trailer of smoke-singed metal and charred wood was all that remained of the bell tower. As repairs are made, members of the church will meet in the building next to the church. The pastor says he’s grateful to have somewhere to spend every Sunday. 
Pastor Hess spent Tuesday talking to insurance agents and restoration companies, with the shock of the fire wearing off and the stress of the rebuild setting in.
He moved here just four months ago, prepared for a spiritual rebuild but now facing a physical one.
Yet his faith remains unshaken and he says no challenge is too great for God. 
“ I had a chance to go down and see the sunset over Erie, and I noticed one of the little rocks, and I saw how smooth the rock was, and I said there was only one way that rock got that smooth. That is years and years, hundreds of years, if not thousands and thousands of years of getting washed around and beat around. I said, 'This is the Lord just making me a little bit smoother and sharpening me up.'" Hess said.
A temporary cover was installed Tuesday, protecting the bell and building from further damage until construction can begin.
  Pastor Hess said he's asking for as many prayers as possible, and says if anyone would like to donate toward repairs, simply call the Fellowship Bible Baptist Church at (814) 739-2042