by Lisa Misner/Illinois Baptist
KANKAKEE, Ill. – Journey Church in Kankakee suffered severe damage from a tornado that tore through the community on Tuesday evening (March 10). The church, located on the south side of town, lost two thirds of its roof, with the remaining portion receiving significant damage.
Several tornadoes touched down in northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana Tuesday (March 10), killing at least two people and causing widespread damage.
Just to the east in Indiana, Butch Porter, director of Disaster Relief for Indiana Baptists, told Baptist Press authorities are not yet allowing relief workers into some affected areas, though there is someone performing assessments.
“We are currently locked out of the area by emergency management,” Porter said. “We have been in contact with the sheriff’s department and emergency management, and we do expect a possible callout within a few days.”
The Journey Church building is constructed with an A-frame in the center and wings on either side, each with a flat roof. “You can see open sky through a third of the roof,” said Dan Eddington, Associational Mission Strategist at Three Rivers Baptist Association.
He explained the other third of the roof’s sheet covering was peeled down to the structure’s bare wood. “The A-frame was lifted up off of walls about four-inches and set back down,” he said. “I assume it’s going to be a total loss, but the insurance will have to make that determination.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Church Treasurer Rachel Thillsaid the church building was filled with an inch of standing water, and “water was still coming in everywhere.” Thill and others were busy working to remove musical instruments and computers from the church sanctuary to prevent them from receiving further damage.
Thill’s husband Jon serves as worship pastor at the church. The church does not currently have a senior pastor. Former pastor, Chad Ozee, is now on staff at a church in Florida.
As he made his way into the neighborhood Wednesday morning, Eddington described seeing homes destroyed by the tornado. In one section of the road he drove by “20 telephone poles tilted at a 45-degree angle” from the high winds.
Illinois Baptists are asked to pray for the church members and their community.
Glen Carty, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Interim State Director, has been in touch with church leaders and Disaster Relief teams in the state are on standby status serve. The area has not yet been opened to volunteers by police and other public officials.
Thousands of area residents are without power. The church’s parking lot is currently being used as a staging area for trucks from ComEd and other utility companies.
There were reports of baseball size hall and 160 mph winds in the area. The National Weather Service is continuing to collect data and has survey teams in the field. It expects to release a report soon.
This article originally appeared in the Illinois Baptist and includes reporting from Baptist Press.