As reconstruction begins, First Baptist pastor and her flock are taking steeple blaze in stride

LYNN – When Veronica Lanier got the call telling her lightning struck First Baptist Church, the 89-year-old pastor sped from Melrose to Lynn chasing fire trucks through red lights and stop signs.A police officer found her a parking spot near the North Common Street church and for the next hour, Lanier watched as firefighters poured 50,000 gallons of pressurized water on the church steeple to squelch the flames.”The firemen never broke a single stained glass window. It really gives you something to think about: Someone could have been killed or hurt,” she said.That was Sunday, Aug. 3. Today, Swampscott contractor John Wharff and his crew are reconstructing the steeple base high atop the church in preparation for mounting a new steeple.The water-damaged chapel carpeting and pew cushions have been dried and cleaned and damaged walls are blocked off in preparation for plastering.Since its construction in 1867, First Baptist has seen its share of natural disasters. A hurricane toppled the church spire on Sept. 8, 1869, doing major structural damage to the church building.The 500-member congregation donated money to pay for renovation costs with women members making and selling shoes. They also expanded the church building to provide worship space for a congregation that grew to 800.The current building replaced a church built in 1833. First Baptist’s original house of worship was a former Methodist meeting house near the West Burying Ground past Market Square.For Lanier, major construction projects are just another challenge to be met. Before coming to Lynn in 1996, she helped a Waltham congregation raise money to rebuild a steeple.A minister for 53 years, she grew up in Medford where she learned at a young age to help others.”When I was little, 8 or 9-years-old, my mother started volunteering me to help people.”She was baptized in the Saxtons River near Grafton, Vt.; attended college in Boston, and did her first missionary work with a Chinese congregation in California.Like their predecessors who rallied in 1869, Lanier and the 350 members of five congregations currently worshipping in First Baptist have raised money to pay for the fire repairs.The congregations include Brazilian, Haitian as well as Spanish and English speaking worshippers and Burmese members who share a Baptist tradition dating back to 1812. Their donations range from significant contributions to a dollar.”That comes from the heart,” Lanier said, adding, “This will bring us closer together than ever.”