Lightning-struck Duluth church 'bringing the community together'

DULUTH – Mark Pavola had no despair in his voice when he talked about the lightning strike that exploded a spire at his Central Hillside church Saturday night.

"Our faith in God tells us he's got a plan in this," said Pavola, pastor and founder of Hope City Church on the corner of E. Fifth Street and Third Avenue E. "There's nothing sad inside of me."

The western steeple of the 114-year-old structure "looked like a bomb had exploded," according to the Duluth Fire Department, which estimated damages at $185,000.

Yet, Pavola said, the once-in-a-lifetime lightning strike is now bringing the community together.

"We've had a lot of calls, texts and e-mails from people just wanting to help," he said. "It has been amazing to see. You can't orchestrate that."

Crews began dismantling what remained of the spire on Wednesday and will put a temporary roof on while internal damage is still being assessed. It's unclear if or when the spire will be rebuilt as long-term plans start taking shape next week.

Though the church has insurance, Pavola said there will likely be costs above what it will cover. He expects to launch a fundraiser in the coming days.

"We are just humbled at how such a negative thing could be working out for the positive," he said. "Good news in our community is a good thing — there's plenty of negative news here."

Services will continue to be held at the park until further notice.

Pavola founded Hope City Church in 2019 in part to fill the "void of active, community-focused evangelical churches" in an "oft-forgotten area of our community." The Central Hillside has one of the city's highest poverty rates and is more diverse than Duluth as a whole.

The church was built in 1907 as St. Josephat's Polish National Catholic Church. Its first English sermon was preached in 1941, according to the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center Collections.

Hope City Church bought the property for $49,000 in May this year, according to county records.

While lightning strikes on buildings are relatively common, the destruction caused by Saturday's storm is more rare — especially considering it damaged a water main below Fifth Street.

"I'm not sure if it was a positive lightning strike vs. a negative lightning strike — positive strikes tend to be more powerful," said Bryan Howell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Duluth. "The fact it broke a water main is pretty impressive."

A lightning strike caused a fire and extensive damage at another Duluth church in July 2018.