Share on LinkedIn

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - The Dyess Grove Baptist Church in Temple has been around for almost 130 years now, but when Temple was hit with a devastating tornado last month sadly most of the church was destroyed.

However, thanks to donations and some amazing volunteers the historic church is now on the road to recovery.

The pastor of the church, Steve Goode, says when he first saw the extent of the damage he was devastated.

“I mean all of a sudden we pull up to a 129-year-old church and see a wall laying down… that’s not fun to see,” he shared.

They immediately got to work, cleaning up and repairing what they could.

But pastor Goode says it’s thanks to their community and other volunteers that they’ve made so much progress.

“You got people like Texans on a mission that come out here for two weeks, slinging hammers, helping rebuild the wall, helping build the structure up so the roof can get put on,” he explained, “you have our head Deacon, Larry Cooksey, out here everyday sweating, slinging hammers. You have our ladies, Lana and Sandra, coming out here bringing them refreshments… that’s blessed”.

Where a brand-new wall now stands, was just a hole in the side of the church a little over a month ago, with part of the roof having caved in.

Progress has been slow but steady, and all of the money used to pay for the repairs so far has just been through donations.

“When you look at what was and when you look at what is, you cannot help but have joy knowing that God is still in the process, working,” Goode said.

Now they’re just waiting to hear from their insurance to take care of the rest, but it could be a while before everything’s fixed.

“Until we get inside and are able to start really look at what there is, it’s hard to say,” he explained. “We just know we’re a long way from being able to have another service in here.”

In the meantime, Goode says they’ll continue to have service every Sunday in the fellowship hall next door.

“This church is being revived and it’s being rebuilt, being sturdied, and we’re gonna be here another 129 years,” he shared.

They’re hoping to open the church back up as soon as they can, but regardless they’ll be celebrating the church’s 130th anniversary here in a few weeks on July 29th.