wfn.org | Tornado levels church, parsonage

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3109 notes).

Note 3109 by UMNS on Aug. 7, 1996 at 16:47 Eastern (3082 characters).

SEARCH:   tornado, storm, church, parsonage, Oakfield, Wisconsin

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Joretta Purdue                          395(10-71){3109}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722            Aug. 7, 1996

Tornado flattens
Wisconsin church, parsonage

                 by United Methodist News Service*

     The United Methodist church and parsonage in Oakfield, Wis.,
was flattened when a devastating tornado ripped through the small
village on July 19.
     The Rev. Thad Rutter, the pastor, had been watching
television with the air conditioner on when the sirens started
blaring. He did not hear them until the power in the house went
out.
     Glancing out the window, Rutter saw the walnut trees beside
the church next door going down. He knew then he needed to head
for the basement and tried to get his dog to follow him but could
not.
     As he started down the stairs, he realized the storm had
passed, looked up and saw that the house was gone. He could also
see that the church was destroyed.
     Rutter spent some time trapped in the stairwell but was
unhurt. All that was left of the house was a few interior wall
studs.
     Byron Center, a United Methodist-owned campground only a few
miles from Oakfield, was undamaged.
     New district superintendent the Rev. Tom Garnhart had
completed voting for bishops at the North Central Jurisdictional
Conference in Fort Wayne, Ind., when he received a call notifying
him of the storm damage.
     He and Odell Thompson, the conference disaster relief
coordinator, left for Wisconsin early the following morning.
     On Sunday, Garnhart and Rutter led worship services for the
congregation at the Oakfield Catholic church, which had been
untouched by the storm. 
     The service was more than 90 minutes long -- the bulk of it
spent sharing joys by the members. Twice the sharing was
interrupted by music, Garnhart said. 
     The first time was to sing the Avery and Marsh hymn, "We are
the church," which includes the lyrics: "The church is not a
building. The church is not a steeple. The church is not a resting
place. The church is a people."
     The second time, Garnhart said, was when a member shared her
story. "Her house was gone, but in the rubble she looked for her
10 most precious things -- and found each of them. One was her
harmonica and she played 'Amazing Grace' for us," he said.
     Rutter's dog was found by the area Humane Society and
returned.
     Insurance agents who inspected the church and parsonage
declared them a total loss.
     Some estimates indicate that the church and parsonage were
under-insured by almost $300,000. United Methodist congregations
in Wisconsin have begun a rebuilding fund.
                              #  #  #

     * Excerpted from a longer article written by Kristin Knudson
Harris, editor of Dimensions, the United Methodist Review edition
for Wisconsin.

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