KATHLEEN, Fla. — Three months after a tornado destroyed a Kathleen church's food bank, things seem to be returning to normal at Mt. Tabor Baptist Church.
- Church's food bank destroyed by Kathleen tornado in October
- Parishioner says insurance covered long-postponed repairs
- RELATED:
“To get this building done is a huge step, because then, we can focus on what we’re going to do next,” Pastor Matt Gilmore said Sunday of the repair work required after an EF-2 tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Nestor tore a path of destruction across the Polk County community.
The new roof is almost complete, and the building has been repainted.
The next step is to replace the building lost. Plans for the new Family Life Center include a preschool, food bank, and a basketball court.
“We had been trying to build a Family Life Center here for many, many, many, years, long before Matt even came," said Donna Ballard, who has been a member of the church for almost 60 years. "It just never happened, because we never had the money.
"Now, God has just blessed us so much since the tornado with the insurance and the donations and stuff. And now we’re finally going to get our Family Life Center, and it’s just amazing," she said.
The changes are offering a fresh start to the church, which is more than a century old.
"It’s encouraging knowing we’re going to be OK. We’re going to get through this,” Gilmore said.
The roof is expected to be finished Tuesday. As for the new building, the church is hoping to have it done by mid-October — one year after the storm.