Between 8:00 and 9:00 pm on Monday night, July 8th, a series of intense thuderstorms swept through the Port Washington area. A lightning bolt that may have hit very near Friedens Church is suspected of causing a power surge that started an electrical fire in the northeast corner of our historic building.

The fire was not discovered and reported until 11:13 pm, at which time five area communities sent fire fighters to put out the blaze. It was extinguished in only half an hour, with very little damage to the brick and stone exterior structure. The interior, however, was severely damaged. Many of our antique stained glass windows were broken, the balcony burned, and our pipe organ was destroyed. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

In their July 10th issue, the Ozaukee Press covered the disastrous fire. The newspaper gave us permission to include their stories on our web site:

• Lightning Suspected in Fire That Caused $1 Million Damage to Port Landmark
  
  
• Saddened Congregation Finds Strength in Faith, Long History in Community

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also carried the following stories about the fire:

• Fire causes $1 million in damage to church in Port Washington (July 9, 2002)

• Church finds a blessing from fire (July 18, 2002)

Many pictures were taken during and after the fire. To view these photos, click the thumbnails below and a larger version will appear. The pictures are grouped by category. Pictures from the Ozaukee Press were taken by Bill Schanen IV and are used by permission.

Friedens will recover from this disheartening setback. While the fire afflicts and saddens our entire congregation, we realize that our church building and its contents, however 'valuable' they may seem to us, are only material objects. We draw strength from our living Lord, and are confident that with His help, we will rise from the ashes of this conflagration stronger than ever.

TIP: While viewing a picture, you can save it on your own computer by pressing the right mouse button (PC) or holding down the mouse button (Mac) until a menu containing a 'Save Picture' option appears. To return to the gallery page, click 'Back' on your browser.

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Visit our Stained Glass Windows page

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