Corinth Baptist Church in Sand Mountain Baptist Association sustained heavy structural damage when a small tornado struck Macedonia April 3 around midnight.
According to The Associated Press, the EF1 storm rocked the Jackson County community with winds at an estimated 90 miles per hour.
"It took our fellowship hall, knocked it off its foundation … there’s a lot of property damage," said Shannon Williams, pastor of Corinth Baptist.
The sanctuary suffered structural damage, and Williams’ house next door to the church was also hit hard.
But thanks to local Southern Baptist disaster relief teams, help was on the scene the morning after the storm.
For two days, chain saw crews from Sand Mountain and DeKalb Baptist associations worked hard to clean up debris at the church, Williams’ house, the nearby school and in local residents’ yards.
"We’ve pretty much done all we can do at the church now, so we are working to help the community," David Patty, director of missions for Sand Mountain Association, said April 5.
At press time, Williams and other leaders of Corinth Baptist were focusing on assessing the sanctuary’s condition and usability and deciding how to handle Easter services, Patty said.
He added that leaders at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) had already offered assistance and a mobile chapel, if needed.
"As soon as they (Corinth Baptist leaders) clear the permits with the city, we will work to get a mobile chapel there as soon as we can — most likely within the next two weeks," said Ron Parnell, coordinator of the office of information and facility services for the SBOM. (TAB)
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