Nov. 10, 2008 issue
‘More than survivors’
By Paul Schrag Mennonite Weekly ReviewPage:
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GREENSBURG, Kan. — In the town a tornado destroyed, the Mennonite church is back.
Greensburg Mennonite Church member Jay Koehn sings a hymn with granddaughters Rachel, left, and Cadence Alvarez during the building dedication service Nov. 2. — Photo by Paul Schrag/MWR
The congregation never left, of course. But the members of Greensburg Mennonite Church lost their building and everything in it on May 4, 2007, when a mile-wide tornado with winds over 200 mph leveled 95 percent of the town of 1,500.
The church’s foundation, however, stood firm, literally and symbolically.
“The building was blown away, but a good part of the foundation was left,” said D.A. Raber, a former pastor who led the congregation when it built its old building in 1978.
“Because Jesus Christ is the foundation on which we build, the church stays alive and well, not only in small communities but around the world.”
More than 250 people overflowed the sanctuary of Greensburg Mennonite Church on Nov. 2 as the 74-member congregation dedicated its new building.
The church stands on the edge of a town that is recovering steadily from what some feared might be a fatal blow. On many streets, new houses stand next to large trees that the wind stripped of all but a few stout branches.
“It’s exciting here right now,” said Paul Unruh, a church elder who is rebuilding the house at his farm. “They say it’s the old west spirit, but I think it’s the Christian spirit.”
As Pastor Jeffrey Blackburn said, “We are more than survivors, we are thrivers.”
During the dedication service, congregational leaders thanked people from across the country who had helped the church and the town rise from near total destruction.
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