Dadeville church renovated after damage from ‘devil’s wind’

For a lot of people, 2020 has been a challenge. At Horseshoe Bend Baptist Church, Dadeville, it’s been a challenge times two.

Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to change the way they held services, an April 19 storm Pastor Carl Kelly called “the devil’s wind” destroyed their sanctuary and the rooms behind the sanctuary.

“A straight-line wind caused several trees to fall around our church building, with one falling on the end of our church building,” Kelly said. “This caused our metal roof to buckle and ripped much of our roof off. It exposed the inside to water damage with 100% loss in this part of the building.”

The steeple also was blown off the building and the church sign blown away.

But many volunteers from the local, associational and state level came together to clean up, repair and rebuild the church. It was a massive group effort, Kelly said. And when all was said and done, they ended up with a new roof, steeple, wiring, sign, audio and video; a replacement piano; refurbished pews; and a repaired day-care center.

Special service

The church recently held a special service they called “Back to Church Dedication Sunday” to celebrate God bringing them through both trials this year.

“We have held on to the message of Psalm 23,” Kelly said. “We have prevailed in dealing with this ‘devil’s wind,’ and we have put the building that Horseshoe Bend Baptist Church meets in back together even better than what we had. What the ‘devil’s wind’ intended for evil, God turned into a blessing.”