Six United Methodist churches damaged in Nashville tornadoes
4/20/1998 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn NOTE: Photos available with this story
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) -When Tim Tanton took the job of news editor of United Methodist News Service last winter, little did he know that the stories he edited about the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) would assume a personal nature.
Tanton's East End residence was slightly damaged by April 16 tornadoes that devastated downtown Nashville and his historic East Nashville neighborhood. The first tornado, with its 100 miles per hour winds, hit at 3:30 p.m. and a second followed at 5:15 p.m.
East End United Methodist Church, where the Tanton family worships, is the location for a UMCOR command post and relief coordination center for the East Nashville area.
UMCOR, the denomination's disaster relief arm, will work from the East End church and nearby Hobson United Methodist Church to provide assistance to the residents in East Nashville. The agency already has sent generators to the area for use by medical centers and day-care centers that are powerless.
The East End church also will be used as clearing house for people needing assistance and wanting to volunteer. Since much of the neighborhood is still without electricity, a refrigerated truck will be in the church's parking lot to provide free ice to those in need.
"UMCOR's presence here is indicative of the United Methodist Church's relief work throughout the nation and world," said East End pastor Mike Waldrop. "This tornado was the worst disaster I've ever personally seen or been a part of."
The April 16 tornadoes were two of nine to touch down in eight Tennessee counties. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency estimated that as many as 200 to 300 tornadoes tore across the state, though not all touched down.
Wind, rain and hail swept through downtown Nashville causing the worst storm damage here in at least 30 years. More than 1,220 homes sustained an estimated $12.5 million in damage; 100 people sustained injuries from flying debris and at least 60,000 to 75,000 lost electricity.
The city is also home to the largest concentration of United Methodist churchwide agencies. Located downtown, the United Methodist Publishing House sustained minor damage but its Cokesbury bookstore next door was not harmed. There was no damage to the offices of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, the Board of Higher Education and Ministry, United Methodist Communications or the Scarritt-Bennett Center.
Tennessee twisters damaged more than 2,000 houses statewide and destroyed 200 more. Nashville, along with six other counties, were declared disaster areas by Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.
The East End church fared better than other United Methodist churches in the community, with minor roof, window and tree damage.
Six United Methodist churches in the city were damaged in varying degrees, with the most severe at Tulip Street and Aldersgate.
Other affected churches were Braden, with roof damage; Hermitage, with roof damage and a portion of the roof of the newly established Byrdstown United Methodist Church, located on the Cumberland Plateau, was torn away.
A 50-foot wide hole was left in the eastern wall of the sanctuary of historic, 107-year-old Tulip Street United Methodist Church. Sixty of the church's 174 members worshiped in the sanctuary April 19, after volunteers from Grace United Methodist Church in Mount Juliet built scaffolding to support the roof and nailed up a tarp to cover the hole.
When the eastern wall collapsed, so did the century-old stained glass windows. Clean-up workers managed to salvage 80 percent of the shards of glass for window restoration.
During worship on April 19, messages from the pulpit of numerous churches dealt with thankfulness, rebirth and resurrection.
Bishop Kenneth Carder, leader of Tennessee's 203,900 United Methodists, told the Tulip Street congregation that although tornadoes come and go, the world is constantly full of people who live with tragedy and who need compassion.
"We're here to announce to the world this morning that we're an Easter people," Carder said. "In the midst of darkness and suffering and loss, we can still proclaim that there is hope and love and joy."
Massive destruction at 40 year-old Aldersgate United Methodist Church forced its 269 members to hold April 19 worship services at Inglewood United Methodist Church, nearly three miles away. The roof of the Aldergate's fellowship hall is gone, the steeple damaged and a sanctuary wall buckled.
Carder, who will meet with pastors of the damaged churches this week to determine appropriate strategies for rebuilding, said an outpouring of love and support from across the Tennessee Conference and from across the United Methodist connection has been noted.
According to officials at United Methodist-related McKendree Village, none of the retirement community's 700 residents or 400 employees were injured. Recent fire drills and newsletters telling residents what to do in case of a storm were cited as reason, as well as the fact that "God was looking after us," said Robert Willner, president at McKendree. "Our prayers were answered that no one was hurt and the damage was superficial."
The same storm system that swept through Nashville, first struck northwestern Arkansas and western Tennessee, killing 10 people and injuring at least 22. Buildings were damaged in northeastern Arkansas and 200 structures, including mobile homes, were damaged in the Manila area.
According to Jane Dennis, editor of the Arkansas United Methodist, newspaper of the North Arkansas and Little Rock Annual Conferences, no United Methodist property was damaged, and United Methodist pastors are providing counseling services.
"There is a lot of destruction," said the Rev. Lawrence Dodgen, superintendent of the Paragould/Jonesboro District. "The churches responded by being right there."
Manila is approximately 50 miles north of Marmaduke, an Arkansas community hard hit by tornadoes March 1997. "Because of the experience at Marmaduke a year ago, a plan was in place and I think people were ready," Dodgen said.
Dodgen and a local representative of UMCOR toured the damaged areas and made plans for the denomination's involvement in long-term recovery of the community.
According to the UMCOR hotline, the agency needs supplies for its warehouse in Louisiana as well as cash donations to help storm-ravaged victims in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
Donated goods may be sent directly to UMCOR's Depot at 131 Sager-Brown Road, Baldwin, La. 70514. For a list of needed goods and shipping instructions, call (800) 814-8765.
Cash donations can be made to a general disaster emergency fund, Advance No. 901670-1, and earmarked for specific states.
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