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Blessing in disguise

Marisa Doncevic

A blessing in disguise. That’s what members of Comins Mennonite Church say about the tornado that completely destroyed their church and parsonage.

Their “before” pictures show a small white country church surrounded by beautiful oak trees. Their “after” pictures show two bare oak trees, stripped and splintered, standing beside a pile of twisted, broken wood, shingles and insulation. Twenty-six other buildings in the tiny town of Comins were destroyed by the category-three tornado that hit on the evening of July 3, 1999. There were only minor injuries.

For the people of the Comins congregation, who number close to 100, rebuilding was the only option. “There was no question about wanting to rebuild. We just didn’t know how it was going to happen,” said Paul Cleeves, chair of the church board. Soon after the tornado, Mennonite Disaster Service came and asked if the church wanted help to rebuild, and the dream became a possibility. Work started on the parsonage first, and a building blitz starting August 26, led by 25 MDS volunteers, raised the building in three days. Starting September 1, 50 local and MDS volunteers put up the church frame and the entire roof in a four-day building blitz. MDS volunteers continued to work on the rebuild through October, in the hope that the congregation would be in their new church by Christmas.

“Having to rebuild our church was a blessing in disguise,” said Cleeves. “All the beautiful oak trees are gone, but they blocked the view of the church from the road. A lot of people didn’t know there was a church here because all the trees covered it. . . . We hope that now when people drive by, they’ll see the building and want to come. When the work is finished, we will have a 29-foot lighted steeple and cross.”

Members of Comins Mennonite Church stand in front of their new church, with the new parsonage in the background. MDS photo by Marisa Doncevic

Church member Florence Rhoads echoed that sentiment. “We had wanted to build on to the church because the fellowship hall was small. . . . The Lord has blessed us with a building big enough to accommodate more people from the community.”

“There is a lot of community interest in the rebuild,” said Louise Knepp, another church member. “People drive by all the time to see what’s happening. We had a celebration of life service on August 1, and many people from the community who don’t normally attend Comins were there. It was so sad to see the church destroyed. . . . Now, when I look at what has happened since then and how God has provided for us, it’s mind boggling. . . . We want to move into the new building and have a revival. There are so many people who need God so badly, and we hope they find Him as a result of our new church.”

Marisa Doncevic is MDS Communications Coordinator. The article was distributed as an MDS news release Nov. 12, 1999.

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Last modified May 17, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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