PIEDMONT, Ala. (AP) - An eastern Alabama church congregation will honor people who died when a tornado decimated the building 20 years ago and those who helped pull survivors from the rubble.
The Rev. Joe DeWitte of the Goshen United Methodist Church told the Anniston Star (https://bit.ly/1hf5WOQ) the Sunday service is about reflecting on a terrible event and looking at the good that has come from it.
A twister hit the church March 27, 1994 and killed 20 people who were inside. Survivors, church members and people who helped pull congregation members from the rubble are expected to be on hand for the anniversary service.
The newspaper reports the Rev. Kelly Clem of the Holmes Street United Methodist Church in Huntsville was pastor of the church in Goshen when it was destroyed and is scheduled to deliver the sermon on Sunday. Clem’s 4-year-old daughter was killed in the tornado.
Clem told the newspaper she hopes the service strengthens visitors’ faith.
“When they are faced with a loss or a tragedy, I hope that our faces will pop into their minds as they think, ‘They did it - I can get through this, too,’” she said. “We will, of course, look back, but with an eye to the hopeful signs we experienced and the vision God planted in our hearts for a beautiful future.”
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Information from: The Anniston Star, https://www.annistonstar.com/
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