Winter storm causes roof collapse at Illinois church
A snowstorm followed by rain and freezing temperatures was just too much for the roof of the 16th Avenue Church of Christ to handle.
The church building in Sterling, Ill., was empty when the collapse happened.
“The weather last Thursday was the perfect storm to cause the damage,” Leo Woodman, minister for the 16th Avenue church, told The Christian Chronicle.
Woodman said the rain created a layer of slush under the snow. The weight of it all, combined with the cold winds, was just too much for the more than 50-year-old building to handle.
A nearby television station, KWQC, covered the story.
“It ripped the roof off in the corner, and the block wall cracked all the way through,” Woodman told KWQC. “You can see daylight from the inside looking out. It’s a mess.”
No one was inside when the collapse happened.
The congregation had just started meeting in person a few weeks before the collapse. Woodman said the building had been closed for months. The church had met only online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The church, which has about 75 members, has insurance.
Woodman said, for now, members will return to meeting online until the insurance company and reconstruction contractors tell them it is safe to be inside.
While the church is not in immediate need of any help, Woodman said prayers for the congregation moving forward would be greatly appreciated.
