FRANKLIN, Ohio — It was a close call for Grace Baptist Church in Franklin during Sunday night’s severe weather outbreak. High winds knocked down its iconic steeple near a grade school.
Crews filled the parking lot throughout the day Monday at church. They worked to remove the steeple after storms left the 40 foot structure toppled over and lying on the rooftop. The weight of it all had the pastor concerned and taking precautions.
“My reaction was, ‘What?! The steeple blew over!’” said Grace Baptist Church Pastor Don Sixt.
He said it was just before midnight Sunday when he got that call.
When he came in to see the damage himself, it wasn’t just the steeple on the outside, but water damage leaking inside. At first sight, he was concerned.
“We do have a very large Christian school, close to 600 students between the early learning center and the K-12, and we have our car line that regularly goes every day, Monday through Friday, drop off and pick up in front of our facility,” said Sixt.
His team blocked off the area where the roof was leaking inside and are having a company come to remove the steeple outside so it does not cause any further damages but that’s where he said the damage stopped.
“Thankfully, by the grace of God, there’s no what appears to be major damage other than, of course, the steeple itself,” said Sixt, “It was spared from hitting the actual membrane of the roof by about 12 inches and so it bent, but it didn’t quite hit, it had a few pieces blow off and they have created some punctures…but from everything we can tell, it could have been a lot worse,” he said.
The pastor said they’re hoping by the end of the day, Monday, they’ll have the steeple removed, but they are planning to replace it because it is an icon for the church.
In the meantime, he said church will go on Wednesday and Sunday, as usual.
