Pastor Clint Landry said he and others at First Baptist Church Wetumpka felt like there was something symmetrical about opening their new building on the fourth anniversary of the tornado that initiated the construction project.
“We feel like at the end of the day, it is a place that shows God’s incredible provision,” he said.
The church was hit by a high-end EF2 tornado on Jan. 19, 2019, that caused extensive damage, especially to the church’s historic chapel. The new building integrates mementos from the chapel into the design, Landry said.
“We were able to reincorporate historic stained glass windows, and we have a few other pieces and parts that folks who were familiar with the historic chapel will recognize while at the same time really improving functionality,” he said.
‘New beginnings’
On Thursday evening (Jan. 19), Landry and others gathered for a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new building, which features a welcome center, a meeting room for student ministry, a preschool and kids play space and check-in area and a library and media center.
“We’re in a strong position now to use the buildings for the purposes of ministry,” Landry said. “Our church is very unified rallying around this new season of ministry. We have become a city of makeovers and new beginnings, and we want to be a part of that here.”
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