CLAREMORE, Okla. — It's been almost six months since the Claremore tornado damaged the town's areas.
One spot that saw a significant amount of damage was the Claremore First Baptist Church.
"Really, it’s just stuff. It’s just a building. This is a building this isn’t a church. The church is the people and the people were safe," said Senior Pastor Keith Wiginton.
Wiginton and other leaders count their blessings as they rebuild some of the worst-hit areas. For the past few months, they've made do with limited space. They've found local businesses and even homes to host church groups.
The staff thanked their congregation for being patient and helpful during the recovery process.
The night of the Claremore tornado, 2 News reported on the damage in the church’s parking lot. A few days later, we went back to the church in the daylight.
Now, months later, they’re well on their journey to recovery.
The southern wing of the church saw a majority of damage. While now repaired, the damage caused a slew of other problems. The major roof damage broke water pipes, flooding the buildings. Wiginton said the flooding caused more damage than the tornado.
But he's grateful for everyone who's helped them over the past few months, reflecting on their own service goals.
"Oklahoma, I grew up here, I just think we have to help your neighbor attitude. We all realize that helping my neighbor is good for me, cause when we have a need they’re going to help me," said Wiginton.
Now, the church is giving back. In late October, a group from their Southern Baptist Disaster Relief chapter is heading to help after the recent hurricanes.
"That’s just kind of the nature of who we are. That’s kind of a part of our identity at Claremore cause we’re kind of disaster relief, that’s kind of what we do," said Wiginton.
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