Three months to the day a tornado caused extensive damage to its facilities, the congregation of Central Baptist Church, Argo, gathered again in the restored sanctuary.
“It’s good to be back home,” Pastor Dewey Corder said following the morning worship service Feb. 24. “We celebrated the goodness of God and the fact He took care of us.”
The church sustained a half million dollars in damage to its sanctuary, fellowship hall and children’s classrooms as a result of a Thanksgiving weekend tornado Nov. 24, 2001. Corder said the storm caused the sanctuary walls to buckle and damaged the carpeting and roof. The fellowship hall needed a new floor and new windows following the storm, while the carpet in the children’s classrooms had to be replaced. Most of the church’s interior was also repainted, Corder noted. The cemetery and a church bus also suffered damage from the tornado.
By Feb. 24, there were no signs of damage to the 200-seat sanctuary, fellowship hall or children’s area as a result of repairs Corder said were covered by insurance. Rather than renovating the sanctuary, the church went with restoring the space to a look members already appreciated. “It’s the same sanctuary,” Corder said.
The pastor said about 170 people attended the service, an increase from the 125–150 who normally participated prior to the tornado.
“That’s good, considering we’ve been away,” Corder said. “We had a good spirit.”
Members of Central Baptist met at Argo Baptist Church while repairs were made, with Sunday services scheduled at a different time from the host church’s services. In addition, Corder said Central was able to continue a weekday prayer service by meeting on Thursday nights.
“[Argo Baptist Church] has been very gracious and hospitable,” Corder said.
Jim King, chairman of Central Baptist’s deacons, said church members were excited about returning to their own church and even had a traditional covered-dish luncheon to top off the day.
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