April 16, 2011 just before 3pm, the lights began to dim rapidly off and then on and an eerie feeling filled the air. Something wasn't right and in just a few moments it was obvious what that was. An ef3 tornado had Kendale Acres Church and our surrounding community in its cross hairs. I hunkered down in the bathroom and after about 30 seconds of listening to things pound against the parsonage and the sound of a freight train going overhead I emerge to find the landscape of our small community forever changed. Homes reduced to piles of rubble, others stripped of roofs and siding. I have never seen anything like it in all of my life. As I stepped out on the porch all I could smell was the scent of pine from all of the trees that were snapped in half just like toothpicks. We rushed from home to home to make sure everyone was ok and God's grace became more and more evident as homeowner after homeowner was accounted for. Many with scrapes and bruises, but all alive. Our neighborhood had been destroyed, but our faith was standing strong. In the days to follow we were able to see the community pull together in a way such as never seen before. As a church we found ourselves as the central outreach center for our area in the relief effort. It has brought us closer to our neighbors and it has allowed us to put our faith into action in a very new and real way. This event has not only changed the landscape forever, it has changed my outlook on our church forever. My prayer is that the Lord will help us be a community church, not just a church in the community. We ask you to please keep us in your prayers as we help our neighbors get their lives back to normal.
