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Saturday morning's storm severely damages Lafayette church, members quickly start repairs

Posted at 4:35 PM, Jan 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-11 23:26:31-05

LAFAYETTE — Saturday's strong storm left a trail of damage at The Open Door church grounds in Lafayette on Dulles Drive. Three buildings were impacted, including a sanctuary that only justopened up before the new year. One of the buildings was left with a large hole in the roof.

"A lot of open exposed spaces, quite a few areas, we're thankful no one was here at the time," Pastor Jeffery Williams said.

The storm didn't keep the congregation away from their church home. Many showed up with tools in hand right after the storm to clean up.

"Without making many phone calls, they just immediately started showing up. To the youngest being about 3 or 4 years old and our oldest members coming out to lend a hand, you can see they have already started moving debris," Williams said.

While the clean up process is just beginning, Williams says it's a blessing no one was hurt.

"I will say, I was shocked to see the amount of damage, but I'm thankful God kept us all safe through this," Williams said.

Sunday's service was originally canceled, but will be held at the Family Life Church on Dulles Drive at 2 pm. The sanctuary will be open as soon as possible.