Bolt from blue 'moves' churchgoers

CRAIG SIMCOX/The Dominion Post

FLASH POINT: Lower Hutt Baptist Church's steeple was blasted open by a lightning bolt. Builder Graham Jessup, top, with pastor Andrew Syme, repairs some of the damage.

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A lightning strike that caused $200,000 in damage to a Lower Hutt church happened just a day before members were to vote on shifting venues – with some joking the bolt from the blue was God casting his vote.

The lightning bolt badly damaged Lower Hutt Baptist Church, striking the spire, blowing two holes in the roof and destroying wiring and electrical equipment.

"I'm loath to call it an act of God," said Pastor Andrew Symes, whose church was struck about 7pm on Saturday – just 24 hours before the congregation met to approve negotiations to buy another building for the church to move to.

Though members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move, "I don't think the lightning strike influenced the vote, but the joke is that God cast his vote", he said.

The lightning lifted the church's roof, displacing many tiles. It will have to be replaced.

Church elder and building contractor Brian Ross estimated it would cost up to $200,000 to repair the damage. The church was fully insured. A new site to move to has yet to be determined.

Mr Ross estimated the church was hit by 26,000 amps – by comparison, most lights run on 1.5 amps.

Church members have agonised long and hard over whether it should move.

About eight years ago they considered shifting from the Woburn site to the former Dux toilet factory in Railway Ave – but that was rejected.

Members were torn over whether to move to a larger, modern, multi-use building from the traditional-style 1953-vintage red brick church.

Mr Syme said: "It's ironic that right before you have a meeting on the subject, the church gets hit by lightning."

He discovered the damage when he arrived at church early on Sunday and was grateful no one was inside when the lightning struck.

Hundreds of phones were knocked out and fire alarms were triggered by the thunderclap, which was heard throughout central Lower Hutt.