Video: Minister of arson-hit church in Co Antrim says 'we are a people of God and we will come through this'

Rev Isy Hawthorne-Steele was speaking to the News Letter as fire crews continue to work on the Church of the Holy Name – an Anglican church in Greenisland, between Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus in east Antrim.

The PSNI are treating the fire as arson.

It broke out late on Sunday night… the very day when the church had hosted the celebrations of its 70th anniversary.

"We got the call about 9pm to say some bins were on fire at the back of the church. I naturally thought it was just a small fire,” said the reverend.

"But when we got here it had almost exploded to the point where it has totally devastated the whole of the parish church hall.

"Nobody was injured – the main thing is nobody was hurt.”

The church hall itself is wrecked.

The parish shop next to it which sells low-cost groceries also suffered damage to its roof.

The hall, the shop, and the main church building itself are all part of the same complex.

Is that main church building going to be ok?

"We're not sure at this stage,” said Rev Isy.

"The firefighters had to take the other side of the roof off because the embers were getting to the centre and it was a possibility that it could go on fire.

"But I think they've contained that now. They're still working really hard.

"There's a lot of damage inside the church the fire chief was telling me. I got in today and we received our Bible and a few things and then I had to leave because some of the roof was starting to fall."

She added that “we just pray that we don't lose our stained glass windows, and we pray that the church doesn't go up”.

She herself has been a member of the church since age seven, and it has been her “lifeblood”.

The surrounding Greenisland community “have been baptised here, have seen many, many occasions of Christenings of their grandchildren and children, of great-grandchildren, of weddings, and sadly those who are passed on”.

"This church is just a life of the community,” she said.

"We just know as a community we will pull together. We are a people of God and we will come through this.”

Anyone who may have witnessed anyone suspicious in the area or to anyone with CCTV, doorbell or other footage that could assist with enquiries is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 1437 of 01/09/24.

Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/