Botkinburg church rebuilt a year after devastating tornado

BOTKINBURG On the morning after an EF2-rated tornado tore through his church last April, reducing much of the structure to rubble, Ester Bass stood by the devastation and vowed to build back.

Less than a year later, the 64-year-old Bass is proving to be a man of his word.

The Botkinburg Foursquare Church, where Bass has served as pastor for about 17 years, will hold a grand opening of its new facility April 6, just four days short of the anniversary of the 2013 tornado that destroyed its previous incarnation.

Bass isn't quite sure yet what words he'll deliver to the congregation that Sunday morning. But he expects it will incorporate themes he's experienced over the past year about finding the strength to overcome a terrible loss.

"It's all by the grace of God that we're here and where we're at now," Bass said. "If he can do that with how he's worked, then he can do anything in our lives. That's the focus."

The tornado touched down in the small Van Buren County town north of Clinton the afternoon of April 10, 2013, destroying much of the church, taking the roof off an adjacent home, obliterating a nearby residence and damaging about 30 other structures. Four injuries were reported, but none was life-threatening.

That was a Wednesday and the church still held service the following Sunday. A large tent was set up on the grounds of the damaged building, which was only 10 years old, and a crowd of 300 people came out to hear Bass' sermon. The congregation usually draws about 100.

"That was just a way of showing them we're here to stay," Bass recalled in a recent interview. "We're going to come through this."

It took a little while to get the wheels in motion, but a few weeks later, demolition and removal of the damaged church began. Before long, the structure was reduced to the concrete slab it had been built upon and rebuilding could commence.

The congregation, meanwhile, didn't miss a Sunday. First, they moved to a gymnasium at a nearby church, but it didn't have air conditioning. Then, they moved to a church in nearby Dennard. The space was small, but it was enough for Bass to keep his congregation going in a tumultuous time.

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Botkinburg church rebuilt a year after devastating tornado