When the April 27 tornadoes ravaged DeKalb County, the 99-year-old building of Grace Chapel Baptist Church at Town Creek in Rainsville was destroyed.
It was one of two churches within about 100 yards of each other to be obliterated that day, deacon Larry Bouldin said.
A representative of the Cherokee County chapter of Carpenters for Christ met with Bouldin to see what could be done to help the independent Baptist church, which was without a pastor.
The church had $98,700 in insurance, but that was not enough to rebuild the structure, he said.
Nonetheless, prior to June 4, when construction was to begin on a new building, a series of events took place:
- The bid on construction materials was $23,000, far below the $50,000 figure that was anticipated.
- A company donated trusses, which would have cost around $8,000.
- Within one hour, two donations that amounted to $3,500 were given, exactly what was needed to purchase a steeple — something the original structure did not have.
Bouldin still grows emotional in recounting all the miracles that occurred.
“We had three baby grand pianos offered to us. We had four organs (offered),” he continued. And that gave him the opportunity to tell the givers about other churches that might need them.
“I could talk about it for an hour,” Bouldin said of all the blessings of the experience.
When construction started, there were 100-plus volunteers from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky busy at work.
By the next Saturday, the inside walls were up and the baptistry was in. By the following Monday, the church had a roof. That Wednesday, a service was held there.
“We had one light, a PA system and a whole lot of church fans,” Bouldin said.
By the end of the project, volunteers from Baldwin, Etowah and East Liberty Baptist associations had given their time to construct the church building. Ken Clement, director of missions for DeKalb Baptist Association, helped coordinate the effort.
“These people who built our church back … they would come up to you and thank you for letting them build your church back,” Bouldin recalled.
He said he would try to express his gratitude but they instead thanked Grace Chapel Baptist members for allowing them to help.
“I just never met a group of people so dedicated,” Bouldin said.
And thanks to those volunteers, “we have a beautiful church now, new pews,” he said. “And through the blessings of the Lord, it’s paid for.”
The new building even looks a lot like the old one and has a baptistry, which the previous church did not have, Bouldin said.
On Dec. 4, the church was dedicated.
In October, Grace Chapel should have something else to celebrate: full membership in DeKalb Association.
Because the church members felt as if God had blessed them so much through Carpenters for Christ and the Southern Baptist associations, they also wanted to participate in missions, Bouldin said.
So, in late summer, he met with Clement to ask how the church could become part of DeKalb Association.
Then, in September, “God sent us a pastor,” Bouldin said.
This pastor, Jeremy Wilson, is strong in Southern Baptist work, Bouldin said.
In October, the association gave Grace Chapel watch-care status for a year, and it is expected to grant the church full membership into the association this October, Clement said. When that happens, DeKalb Association will be 70 churches strong, he said.
At the time the tornado destroyed the church, Grace Chapel had a Sunday worship attendance of about 30. Since Wilson became pastor, attendance has grown to about 50, Bouldin reported.
“God can take disaster and turn it into a blessing,” he said. “It has been a great experience. It has been absolutely life-changing.”
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