Firefighters were called to the blaze at 333 Osborne Road at 3:45 a.m., according to a 911 supervisor.

A neighbor of the church who called for help after another neighbor woke him up and alerted him to the blaze said this morning that the church was "totaled."

The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the church was more than 100 years old.

Sheakleyville volunteer firefighters were assisted by five Mercer County departments and three from Crawford County.

Members of the Sheakleyville department, as well as the state fire marshal, were at the fire scene and unavailable for comment by phone. A spokesperson at the Sheakleyville fire station expected them to be there for most of the morning, combing the site for clues to the cause of the fire and any remaining hot spots.

Representatives from the fire departments who assisted referred The Herald to Sheakleyville volunteers.

The Herald also was unable to reach the Rev. Glea Foster, pastor of the church, for comment this morning.

The Rev. Tom Corbin, pastor of the North Salem Allegheny Weslyan Methodist Church about a quarter-mile away from the fire-ravaged church, said his Osborne Road church would be willing to help out in whatever way it could. "I haven't had a chance to discuss anything yet with (Rev. Foster), but we are interested in helping out," said Corbin, who said he planned to go to the fire scene this morning.