A fire on the Peepeekisis First Nation on Saturday night burned down the Peepeekisis United Church.

The fire started around 8:15 p.m. The Balcarres Fire Department was called to fight the blaze, but they were unable to contain the fire and the church was completely destroyed. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Perry Mcleod lives across from the church and witnessed the fire happen. He said that losing the church will have a lasting effect on the community.

“Everybody has some sort of memories about it,” said Mcleod.

Janet Sigurdson is from Peepeekisis and is a minister with the United Church. She says that the church fire will be very painful for everyone one on the reserve. Sigurdson has been with the United Church for 20 years, and her grandfather even built the Peepeekisis United Church. But for her, there is a silver lining in the form of a reminder that spirituality is not about where you pray.

“Sometimes I think the church is a crutch for people,” said Sigurdson. “You don’t need a church to pray. You don’t need a church to give thanks.”

Originally built in 1906, the Church was one of the oldest United Churches on a Saskatchewan First Nation.