DES MOINES, Iowa — A tight knit community on the north side of Des Moines is recovering after a local church went into flames.
While this tragedy comes as a shock, Pastor David Philpot at Perfecting Holiness Temple is looking forward and recovering from the fire.
Des Moines police and firefighters responded to the fire at the church on Monday.
After extinguishing the fire, police found evidence of arson in four different places around the church. They believe the suspect placed a device inside the church to start the fire.
Witnesses said they saw a person "behaving suspiciously" around the church before the fire, the police department said.
Following an investigation, 27-year-old Emmanuel Philpot was arrested Wednesday, according to Lt. Rick Thomas with the Des Moines Fire Department. Emmanuel is charged with first-degree arson.
Pastor David Philpot told Local 5 he is related to Emmanuel, but would not specify how.
Sgt. Paul Parizek with the Des Moines Police Department confirmed Emmanuel's arrest was in connection to the church fire.
Still, the arrest doesn't necessarily mean closure for the congregation. All that's left of the church is ashes.
“It's heartbreaking. I guess for us," David said. "It's not the heartbreak, it is not the money you put into some, it's a place we can come in worship, and now we can't do that."
Despite the hours put in to saving the church, the damage done may not be replaceable.
"The heat and wearing all the gear, and of course fighting the fire, fatigues the firefighters a lot quicker than it would if it was a cooler day," Thomas said.
While this tragedy is a big loss to the congregation, they are still trying to remain optimistic, as well as looking towards what the future of the church looks like.
“So we're going to build up on our foundation that we've already established, and that the lord took us to the next journey," David said. "So it's heartbreaking to see what fire can do. It does a lot of damage, of course, you never want it to be your church home, but you don't want to be nobody else's. So, you know, this is our journey.”
Despite the interruption, the church has one goal: to just keep everyone together. David wants the community to know that the church isn't going anywhere.
The church plans to have tent services outside the church when the sun is out.