parishioners.

"It was arson, we knew it couldn't be electrical,'' the church pastor said after flames engulfed the church's organ and books, causing $7,000 worth of damage on Monday night.

The blaze was the latest incident in a series of malicious acts.

Rev. Conway Simmons said a boy notified church members attending a conference about the fires around 8.30 p.m.

"The Fire Department was called, but one of the church members took control quickly,'' said Rev. Simmons.

"There were at least 12 able-bodied young men -- and some not so young men -- on hand,'' he added.

The impromptu firefighters used an extinguisher and water from a fountain to douse a burning cabinet at the back of the church and an electric organ and seats near the pulpit in front.

The Clavinova organ and various church books were destroyed. The cedar bookcase suffered damage, but will be repaired.

And pipes of the wind organ have to be cleaned to remove soot.

Police took a woman into custody yesterday and said arson had not been ruled out.

But Rev. Simmons said he believed arson was a logical explanation because the fires were found at separate locations.

And he told The Royal Gazette the church has been experiencing security problems for several months.

Hours before Monday's fire, the head of the church nursery school alerted Police after a bottle was thrown through a glass door.

Although children were inside, no-one was harmed and Police are currently investigating the incident.

In another incident, Rev. Simmons said a stained glass window facing Court Street had also been smashed some four weeks ago.

And a few months ago, the pulpit Bible and a baptismal bowl were stolen.

According to Rev. Simmons most of the incidents took place in the early hours of the morning and no witnesses were present.

But he also said he believed the acts were carried out by the same person.

"There has always been a suspicion as to who the person is,'' he said.

He noted that the suspected female culprit had been seen in the vicinity of the church and was once caught trying to steal a telephone.

Church trustees are now trying to resolve the issue of the suspected culprit and are addressing ways to protect church grounds.

"It's not easy to secure the area because it's a fairly large complex,'' said Rev. Simmons.

"If we had to hire a security firm, we would need more than one person to patrol the area.'' And Rev. Simmons said there were numerous people "hanging around'' the area and problems occurred even when church personnel were present.

"Nailing it down is difficult,'' he said.