Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for January 30, 2008 FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Storms Strike Church

By: Wes Wallace

CAIRO, Ill. - Tuesday's severe weather left pockets of damage all across the Heartland. That meant a lot of people spent Wednesday cleaning up debris, including members of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Cairo.

Reverend Donald Topp stands in the front of the sanctuary, still in shock. "That's the choir area. Had this been 30 minutes later, there are 15-20 people sitting where you see all this rubble."

Just minutes before choir practice, powerful winds made their own noise, and thankfully no one stood inside to hear.

If you think the front of the sanctuary looks bad with a big gaping hole and everything covered in dust and rubble...take a look at the outside.

"It looks to me it might have all lifted at some point, but that part broke off and let the rest set back down," said Topp.

As Reverend Topp walks through the mess of bricks, past the piles of debris, he stops to point out the church motto on the marquee.

"For we know all things work together to the good to them that love the Lord, and are called according to his purpose and we stand on that."

While the 112-year-old building may not have withstood this storm, its congregation, the true foundation still stands strong.

"In the midst of any storm, his people will prevail," Topp said.

Vernon Stubblefield and other church members rely on their faith to carry on, as they try to salvage anything of value.

"It hurts a lot. There's a lot of history here, knowing it's nothing more than a building. It's a still a tool for us, God's tool to use," said Stubblefield.

"We're kinda like the children of Israel. They exited Babylon and came back to Jerusalem, and saw it in ruins. It's like a sermon I preached about starting over. It's gonna be rough, but we're gonna make it." Topp said.

The church plans to hold service next Sunday at 11, but the location hasn't been determined.

The building was insured, but there's been no decision yet to rebuild or relocate.