By Diane Spriggs, Editor Emeritus
The 46 people who gathered for regular 5:45 p.m. services at Landmark Baptist Church in England Sunday, June 25, had no idea how their lives and the life of their church would change just 25 minutes later. The church building includes a fellowship hall in the back and sanctuary in the front. At 6:10 p.m., a terrible storm with heavy rain, but no hail, came through with straight line winds that were clocked at 76 mph at an agricultural airport a few miles east of town. The parsonage sits directly behind the main church building, and although it wasn’t damaged and “not even a shingle” was lifted on the sanctuary, according to Pastor David Inzer, the fellowship hall was hit full force. A blessing was that only the auditorium is used on Sunday evenings, so the building was empty. Another blessing was that none of the vehicles nearby sustained any damage.
“It looks like the whole roof on the fellowship hall will have to be replaced, with extensive damage inside of the fellowship hall, kitchen, two restrooms and at least one classroom,” said Bro. Inzer. “We had planned to feed a church family Wednesday for a funeral, but we are looking at moving that. We use the fellowship hall every Wednesday night for our children’s program and VBS is scheduled in three weeks. At this point, we’re not sure what we will do about those things.”
When asked about the area surrounding the church, Bro. Inzer said there was “some other damage, but it could have been so much worse.”
He said the church is insured and should be covered, less the deductible. When asked if they needed help with cleanup, he said, “We are waiting on our insurance company (as of Monday morning) to tell us our next move, so no help is needed with clean up just yet.
“As pastor of a great church, I’m so grateful that we’re not dealing with someone killed or injured,” Bro. Inzer, who is also a member of the Baptist Trumpet’s Publication Committee, continued. “Everything that was damaged can be replaced. We praise our Lord for His protection and goodness, and we appreciate all the prayers and contacts from so many. Please continue to pray for us.
