MEDWAY, Mass. -- Sunday services took on added meaning for a Medway congregation this week after its church was heavily damaged in a storm.

The Medway Community Church was set ablaze in a lightning strike on Thursday that toppled the building’s bell tower. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it did more significant damage, but the ceiling, carpets and walls in the sanctuary were ruined in the blaze.

Parishioners invited fire crews back to the church on Sunday morning as they gathered for the first time since the fire. Church members lined up to thank about two dozen firefighters from Medway and surrounding communities who attended the service.

Despite the damage to their church, parishioners were upbeat as they gathered on the lawn in the morning. This is not the first scrape with adversity for the two-century-old building, which survived a hurricane in the 1930s and another lightning strike years later.

“Like the sermon said, the church is the people,” explained parishioner Ken Reever. “But we appreciate the building, too.”

Church members told NewsCenter 5’s Lynn Jolicoeur that the fire is a mixed blessing for the congregation, which has been looking for new ways to connect with the Medway community and strengthen ties with former church members.

"People have many needs,” said parishioner Laura May. “They come to the church for many reasons. And this is a great way to have outreach, because people have been coming to us, taking pictures of everything, saying ‘I used to go here.’”

“It’s letting the community know that we’re here, and it’s helped unite the community,” said church member Dick Reynolds.

The church had already allocated about $27,000 for repair work to the building this summer, including the installation of a lightning rod system. A broader set of renovations is now expected to be finished in the fall.

In the meantime, church leaders have received offers from other communities to host the group’s religious services. Church leaders said they have not decided where to hold services in the interim.