DELTAVILLE, Va. — Zoar Baptist Church, whose sanctuary was destroyed by a tornado that wreaked havoc in its Chesapeake Bay community nearly two years ago, is well on its way to recovery, as its new building nears completion.
Zoar's new sanctuary is nearly enclosed.
|
Zoar’s sanctuary was sliced in half by the twister which touched down on a Saturday night in April 2011 — just hours it would have been filled with worshipers. The storm toppled the steeple and left gaping holes in the side of the building.
But this month the congregation hopes to have the steel framework of its new sanctuary enclosed — a significant step in its goal to complete the project by this August.
“The structural steel framework of the new sanctuary has taken shape,” said Cristie Jenkins, Zoar’s publicity chair. “The contractor has completed framing and is currently covering the exterior with sheathing. They are on target to have the building enclosed in February.”
The tornado's path lay straight through sanctuary.
|
A new steeple is scheduled for delivery and installation on Feb. 11, said Jenkins.
“Each construction milestone is reason for rejoicing for this congregation,” she said.
Zoar was organized in 1808 and its red-brick sanctuary, built in the 1950s, was a prominent landmark in Deltaville. Richmond-based Huff-Morris, the architectural firm which designed plans for the old building, was retained once again for the new one.
Robert Dilday (rdilday@religiousherald.org) is managing editor of the Religious Herald.