wfn.org | Church takes hit as tornado strikes Ohio town again

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

Sept. 22, 2000  News media contact: Tim Tanton·(615)742-5470·Nashville,
Tenn.  10-71BP{424}

NOTE:  Photographs are available with this report.

By Roberta Pierce*

XENIA, Ohio (UMNS) -- Almost exactly a year ago, members of Faith Community
United Methodist Church celebrated the completion of $2.1 million in
renovations and additions to their building. 

On Thursday, Sept. 21, the small, official white poster board taped to a
wall of the youth wing read "Condemned."

The church was one of several buildings damaged or destroyed when a tornado
roared through Xenia on the evening of Sept. 20. The storm was rated F-4 on
the Fujita scale and packed winds of 207 to 260 miles per hour. It was 500
yards wide and left a trail of destruction eight to nine miles long, killing
one man and injuring nearly 100 others.

The Rev. Stephen Gill, lead pastor for Faith Community, said about 50 people
were in the church when the tornado hit. 

"There was really no alarm, no warning," he said. According to later
reports, only one of Xenia's five tornado sirens sounded as the storm
touched down.

Three church members were taken to the hospital. The Rev. Clarence Dinnen
and his wife, Marjorie, were practicing with the Chancel Choir when the
tornado hit. Gill said Dinnen suffered a punctured lung and crushed ribs
when a support beam to the balcony fell over him; the pews broke its fall,
saving his life. Marjorie Dinnen suffered a large cut but was to be released
Sept. 21. Another man received eight stitches after being cut by shards of
stained glass.

"We really had the potential for a lot of death," Gill said. Fortunately, he
said, no people were in the children's area, where the roof and back walls
of that older section of the church were torn apart. Also, a woman under an
awning behind the church managed to hold on to the church doors as the
tornado tried to pull her into the air. The awning collapsed around her,
destroying all of the cars beneath it, including hers and two that belonged
to Gill. She was unhurt.

James Mullins Jr., 63, wasn't so fortunate. Gill said Mullins and his wife,
Anita, were in their car at the local fairgrounds when the tornado skipped
through the area. James Mullins was killed, and Anita Mullins was injured
and placed on a respirator. Her brother, David Caulties, is a member of
Faith Community.

Several other buildings, homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged in
the tornado, including a grocery store that was flattened less than a block
away from the church. Gill said people were inside the store and it was a
miracle no one was killed there.

Now, church members and leaders are discussing what to do next. The roof and
back walls of the youth wing were destroyed, along with the canopy and back
wall of the sanctuary. Part of the roof over the front of the sanctuary was
ripped off, leaving the pipe organ exposed. Members of the church estimated
that putting the pieces back together would cost more than $3 million.

The loss of the youth wing will be particularly difficult to deal with,
according to Todd Elliott, youth and young adult minister, since the program
had just begun branching out into new areas and activities. "Just when we
were starting to move into new things, we're taking a big step backwards,"
he said.

The church was insured, Gill said. Dayton South District Superintendent Tom
Wilson visited Faith Community and promised funds from the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to help the congregation rebuild. In addition,
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft declared Xenia a disaster area and asked President Bill
Clinton to declare it a federal disaster area.

UMCOR's director, the Rev. Paul Dirdak, planned to visit Xenia and the
church as part of an already scheduled trip to Ohio on the weekend of Sept.
23. He was delivering funds for flood relief in Toledo and was going to
bring a $10,000 check for Faith Community. 

Meanwhile, local churches and organizations have offered to provide space
for Faith Community members to gather. On Sept. 24, the congregation planned
on holding a Sunday School session and worship service at Xenia High School.
Gill said the church has also received offers to host its preschool program
and other church gatherings, but no decisions have been made about those.

Gill said he is grateful for the support. He recalled that in 1974, when a
tornado killed 33 people in Xenia, Faith Community was not damaged. The
church offered hospitality to other congregations, residents and
organizations, and it hosted the Housing and Urban Development offices for
18 months. Now, he noted, in the church's hour of need, the community is
responding.

"We feel really cared for and connected," Gill said. "Sometimes you don't
even think about these things until something like this happens."
# # #
*Pierce is a communication specialist with the West Ohio Annual Conference
of the United Methodist Church.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
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