NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Winds from Tropical Storm Isaias tore down parts of a Virginia church that was built more than a century ago, including a large stained glass window depicting Jesus’ baptism, officials said.
The damage at First Baptist Church of Lambert’s Point in Norfolk happened Tuesday as the storm moved through the state, the Norfolk Fire-Rescue said in a Twitter post. Debris had also fallen on a gas meter, causing a leak that was later fixed by workers, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
No one was inside the church when the front wall fell, Rev. Anthony Paige, the senior pastor of the church, told the newspaper.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the stained glass window had been damaged since it had been encased in plywood for years, the newspaper reported.
Paige said the part of the church that was damaged was built in 1893. Before winds tore it down, the pastor said he had plans to transform that part into a center for other church functions. The storm’s havoc doesn’t change those plans, he added.
“We’re not going to tear it down,” Paige said. “We’re going to fix it.”
He hopes to raise funds to repair the damage, which he estimates will cost nearly $100,000.
The church holds services in another part of the church that was built in 2002.
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