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City and church officials use the gold-plated shovels to break ground on the new church being built after the Texoma Southern Baptist Church was destroyed by a tornado. Leslie Mowles • The Madill Record
Texoma Southern Baptist Church broke ground on a new church building on March 21, 2023. The event took place exactly one year to the day after an EF2 tornado with wind speeds of 130 mph. destroyedthepreviouschurch on March 21, 2022.
With the help of the Enos, Buncombe and Shay community buildings and dedicated church member’s private homes, Texoma Southern Baptisthasbeenabletomaintain regular weekly services despite not having a central building.
Thechurch’sgroundbreaking ceremony for the rebuild took place, in the same location alongside numerous city officials, church leaders, community members and the local press. To commemorate the occasion, the current Pastor Jeff Renard led the event with a quick recap of last year’s catastrophic event and the hard work that went into the planning and development of the new building.
“A tornado may have caused destruction, but it did not stop the body of Christ from moving forward,” said Renard.
Hard hats and golden shovels were used to officially break ground with the church leaders and city officials as they dug the first scoop of dirt to mark the beginning of the rebuild. The new church is expected to be complete in 2024 with classrooms, an auditorium, and a fellowship hall.