Holy smoke!

A bolt of lightning Wednesday night damaged the Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church in downtown.

But the church's Facebook page quickly dispelled any notion that what happened was a sign from above. Sort of.

“For those of you who have been wondering, the church was struck by lightning this evening,” said the posting about 9 p.m. “Nobody was hurt thank goodness!”

The bolt struck the large dome of the church just after 7 p.m., sending several stone blocks tumbling down to the roof below.

The stones bounced off the roof before making their way to the street around the church, which is distinctive with its heavy stone and rounded arches contrasted by colorful stained glass.

Church officials said the sanctuary was spared any damage.

The lightning was part of a strong thunderstorm that moved across Butler County.

Bob Fleeger, church council president, said there was a youth group visiting from St. Luke Lutheran Church in Cabot in the basement at the time of the strike. No one was injured.

“That's the most important thing,” Fleeger said. “Now the kids just have a good story to tell their friends.”

Fleeger said the youth group moved into the basement because of the concerns with the storm.

None of the stone blocks made it in the building.

“If you stand inside, you can't even tell anything happened,” Fleeger said. “It just tore up the roof.”

The Butler Fire Department and the VA Butler Healthcare fire department's Rapid Intervention Response Team were dispatched but found no fire.

City code enforcement officer John Evans also was called to inspect the building for structural damage.

Butler police immediately closed East Diamond Street around the church. A city street department crew later placed sawhorses there to block traffic.

There was no estimate on the cost of damage, though a restoration company went to the church later that night.

Jim Schiebel, the church property chairman, said he hoped the company would be able to tarp the hole in the roof. However, that didn't happen Wednesday night as the slippery roof proved too dangerous.

“That roof isn't safe to be on when it's dry,” Fleeger said this morning.

Schiebel also wants the restoration company to take care of the lingering loose stone on the dome above the sanctuary as soon as possible.

“A sharp wind could easily drop them,” he said.

Schiebel wasn't sure what other impact the strike had on the building.

“I'm not sure about the wiring,” he said. “Who knows what they'll find.”

Fleeger said there was “pretty major” structural damage to the roof trusses.

“That will probably be fixed first,” he said. “The question now is what to do temporarily to keep the rain out.”

The repairs being done by Etzel Masonry of Butler will likely take some time.

“They won't fix it in a day,” Schiebel said.

Fleeger said he did not expect the damage to impact the church's Sunday service since it could be held in the basement. About 100 people attend the weekend service.

The building, which is considered an exceptional example of Romanesque Revival architecture, was built in 1902.

The Grace @ Calvary Lutheran Church has been there for nearly a decade.

By way of social media, officials immediately let parishioners know that there was no need for volunteers to help clean up the mess.

Meanwhile, an apparent congregant on Wednesday night posted her relief that the damage to the church was minimal.

“Wonderful!” the message read. “I'm getting married there in 2 weeks and that made me a little nervous.”