Memorial Day evening could have been a memorial day for many of us on the Seminary campus. About an hour before sunset we were struck by straight-line winds and a funnel cloud. This day we went from “prepare for storms” to “a tornado is on the ground in your neighborhood!!!” Dozens of people on campus hid in closets or ran for safety to the main seminary building. The first few moments were the scariest, yet God spared ALL our lives and there were no serious injuries. However, the last few days have been the hardest.
Even with no electricity or phones, a massive cleanup effort was launched Tuesday morning. Most of the cleanup that we can do has been done, and we resumed limited operations on Friday.
As of Tuesday, we were still evaluating damages to our phones, computer network, and roofs. Pray for strength for our workers and wisdom for our administrators as we continue to assess damage and make repairs.
We ask that you seek God’s direction on how you can help financially. Cleanup and repairs requiring professionals with heavy equipment are minimally estimated at $20,000 and could reach $80,000, depending on damages to the buildings, phone and computer systems. The work cannot wait.
We are not going to depend on complicated giving appeals. I am asking our friends and supporting churches to simply give the most they can this week.
Charley Holmes
President