Damaged Church Prepares to Rebuild

First Presbyterian Church in Wetumpka was one of the hardest hit structures by this weekend’s tornado.  As we’ve reported, not much is left, but the pastor says the congregation is ready for the challenges that are ahead.

Pastor Jonathan Yarboro lost more than the church, his home was also damaged.

“I got a phone call from my youngest daughter that a tornado had hit our house,” he explained.

Not long after, he learned the church was all but destroyed.

“If it had happened 24 hours later, there would’ve been definite loss of life,” he shared.

First Presbyterian stood as a landmark in Wetumpka since the 1850s.  It is almost unrecognizable now, reduced to rubble by the tornado.

Yarboro says on Saturdays, when the tornado hit, there are not usually many people at the church.  There is a tornado shelter in the basement, but on a Sunday it would’ve been very tough to get everyone to the safe place.

Now the church begins the long road of rebuilding, starting with attempts to salvage anything that was not completely destroyed.  While there are still many questions left to be answered, one thing is clear.

“There’s a definite commitment from the church to rebuild on this site as it was,” Yarboro said.

First Presbyterian Church is currently meeting at the Wetumpka Depot.