Father Peter MacLeod-Miller said while the incident was viewed as a tragedy at the time, positive things had followed.

“I think smoke lingers, but the inspiration really endures,” he said.

“The story is about the people who responded and rebuilt it.

“I think of St Matthews as a monument to the community.”

Father MacLeod-Miller said barriers between different Christian faiths had also been burnt lost n the blaze.

“We really couldn’t go into each others’ churches,” he said.

“We certainly couldn’t get married in each others’ churches.

“People from the Roman Catholic church brought things over after the fire so we could have a service.

“There was a lot more traffic - Anglicans got married in Catholic churches, which had been unheard of in those days.

“In a previous generation, that wouldn’t have been happening.”

Firefighters and paramedics also attended Sunday’s service, much to the concern of some attendees who spotted the fire truck outside the church.

An electrical fault had sparked the 1991 blaze and destroyed the 134-year-old building. 

Father MacLeod-Miller said the rebuilt church had additional comforts, like air-conditioning. 

“It was really a community celebration,” he said of Sunday’s service. 

“25 years on, the further seems very bright really.

“Since the disaster things have certainly changed. 

“But there are some disasters that create more than they destroy.”