Battle Creek Church Rebuilds After Tornado

A church building and its congregation have become stronger in the wake of a tornado.

It has been nearly six months since a twister producing winds up to 100 mph tore the roof from Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, destroying its nursery and offices while blasting debris clear across M-66.

Last Friday, the walls got their final coat of paint marking the end of construction. It was the first time the 3- and 4-year-old children were able to use their new room.

Despite the wreckage and the heartache, church members thanked God for taking care of them.

At a special worship ceremony Sunday, Rev. Jim Gysel acknowledged God’s power over their lives, saying he works through all things good and bad.

The tornado’s six-mile path of destruction had twisted the tops off healthy trees and tossed a church shed into nearby woods.

It ripped off a portion of the church roof above the nursery and offices so that it looked like the inside had been put through a washing machine on the spin cycle, said Dan Scheffers, general contractor from VanDam and Krusinga Building Contractors in Kalamazoo.

Only two worship services had to be held offsite at First United Methodist Church in downtown Battle Creek before inspectors said it was safe to use the sanctuary again, said Janet Armour, church director of volunteer ministries and building project manager. The roof over that portion had remained intact, and the sanctuary was largely undamaged.

Music sheets, instruments, wood, brick and drywall had been strewn throughout the church. On top of everything was a thin film of cellulose insulation, she said.

“We’re still finding that when we open anything there’s gray dust there,” she said.

Rain flooded the church building in the first week after the tornado until trusses could be built and a new roof attached, Scheffers said.

But considering the damage, Scheffers said he was amazed at how quickly the church and volunteers came together to get the job done.

Church members used the opportunity to make small improvements to the building’s design. Insurance paid for five-sixths of the total cost, and the church paid one-sixth for the upgrades, Armour said.

The church made its nursery more accessible by building it closer to the sanctuary, said Lori Smith, children’s ministry director.

“We wanted it to be visible for families new to the church,” she said.

The church’s offices are now all located in the same area of the building.

But the most amazing thing was that no one was hurt or killed, Gysel said.

“I believe in miracles, don’t you?” he asked the congregation.

A wooden cross made of timber that the tornado flung from the building has been placed on the altar as a reminder of what had happened, he said.

“I think it reinforces your own faith when you see them standing so strong in their own faith,” Scheffers said.