Though they wreak much havoc and many people have been casualties, it is likely the case that most people have never experienced a tornado. I did…

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A TORNADO STORY

Several decades ago I was attending a church service. This particular church met at two o’clock on Sunday afternoons rather than Sunday mornings. It was early August. The church building held maybe 700 people or so and it was the usual capacity crowd. I was sitting among some friends in the center section about halfway up. After the opening praise and worship time backed by a large choir, there was a guy in the pulpit doing some extended announcements. He kind of got off on a tangent talking about something or another. Everything was pretty much as routine as always.

Then, suddenly, the house lights began to flicker. No one thought too much of it. After a few moments they went off completely as did all the electricity. People looked around a little. There was a low murmur. The guy in the pulpit paused briefly but then continued though the mike no longer worked. I remember him doing a short laugh and being quite good natured about what we thought would be a momentary interruption. Everyone in the congregation remained seated.

Then a few of us heard the muted sounds of something quite out of the ordinary from back in the spacious closed off vestibule. Before anyone had time to think of what it may be one of the vestibule doors opened and an usher came walking hurriedly down one of the two main aisles toward the front. He was met by the preacher and a couple of others and they all headed back to the vestibule. Congregants looked on following this unexplained action seeking clues. The low murmur returned and increased in volume punctuated by a few spoken voices in the crowd. There were also the sounds of undefined shuffling as people made increasingly larger movements while turning around to see what was going on. Many had much concern on their faces.

When the men arrived at the back and began opening the vestibule doors again the entire atmosphere in the church building dramatically changed. We instantly heard it. We heard the very loud sound of a mighty wind. The vestibule doors flew open. Ushers were trying with great difficulty to keep the outside glass doors closed but it was a fight. I was able to look back there and saw the whole ruckus as it was happening. Everyone in the congregation got the big idea really fast and the physical movement of hundreds of people increased the discordant sound volume precipitously. All around me people started diving under pews. A few people ventured into the aisles either coming or going though the majority stayed in place seeking shelter where they were. It wasn’t pandemonium but kind of a controlled effort to somehow gain a modicum of protection. And remember, it was all taking place in a darkened building lit only by the gray light from outside through the one set of open vestibule doors and the colored rays emitted through several narrow stained glass windows on either side in the far wings.

When I saw so many people in my vicinity going under the pews I decided on a different approach. As I envisioned the tornado busting through the brick wall not far to my right on the east side of the church building, rather than go down I stood straight up and raised my hands in praise to the Lord. If I was going out this was the way I would go. But I also thought that maybe I could somehow affect the inevitable outcome in some indiscernible way—that maybe by focusing on the Lord, praising Him, and seeking His help the disaster could possibly be averted. I was certainly not the only one seeking the assistance of the Lord at this time.

It got really loud. I found out later that the tornado was heading straight for the church building. It was following the major road across from the church on the opposite side but then jumped over to the church property and came close enough to suck the bark off of several trees close by the building just beyond the very brick wall I had envisioned taking a major broadside hit. Then one of the ushers back there white-knuckling the outside doors later told us that all of the sudden the F2 tornado stopped in its tracks right before it hit the church, picked up off the ground slightly, and jumped right across to the other side of the road again. It then continued passing by the front of the building and moved off to the west and beyond.

Things inside began to get still and quiet. We all started to sense that it was probably over. The great sound was gone. The wind had ceased. Someone at some brief point thereafter gave the final word that all was good. People emerged from under pews and sat down dazed. I don’t remember much after that. It was my first and only tornado experience.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord intervened to stop a disaster. Hundreds of people would likely have been killed and a great many injured. It is interesting that the only church property the tornado traversed on its way toward the church building was a small greenbelt and then a large parking lot. There was no damage to these either. Whether the tornado path toward a direct hit on a church building was nothing inherently sinister but simply a natural occurrence or an actual attack of the enemy is likely a matter of faith and perspective. God knows.

The next day or so I remember seeing a black and white photograph. It was a picture of the front of the church building someone had taken not long after the all clear was given. There was no damage whatsoever. Also in the picture was the previously mentioned brick east wall completely unscathed. But there was something else, something over the church. Hovering just above the roof were three indistinct whitish shapes. What were these?

Hmmm. Probably just photographic anomalies…

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