The fire began in the basement and was reported shortly after midnight.
PENNSAUKEN TWP. -- Firefighters extinguished an overnight fire in the basement of the Temple of Praise Ministries Church, but the blaze left the church significantly damaged.
No one was injured in the fire, which broke out shortly after midnight Wednesday morning. Firefighters had the blaze under control within minutes, the Associated Press reported, but other fire departments were still called in for support.
A Gofundme page to support the church repair work was started Wednesday morning by a woman who says she grew up in the church and thinks of it as her second home.
Shambree Nashell said on the website that the fire spread quickly and the church's windows and doors are now boarded up.
"We are a growing church and we are a church that will not be defeated," she said. "Our goal has always been and will always be 'Winning the Lost at ALL cost' and we intended to get the church back up and running but we need your help."
Photographs of the church basement on the page show damage to tables and chairs stored there, and areas where firefighters had to break off chunks of the walls and ceiling to get at the fire.
Fire Chief Joe Palumbo told the AP that the church is 150 years old and has previously survived a fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.