The communities of Bondurant, Marshalltown, and Pella were among those rocked by tornadoes that ripped through the area Thursday afternoon. We have received reports from two church families that we know were in the vicinity of the storm and are thankful that no fatalities have been reported, the church buildings represented sustained no damage, and that the church members are banding together to serve one another and their community in the aftermath. You can read the full reports received from Center Street Baptist Church in Marshalltown and Berean Baptist in Pella as you seek to pray for and support them. If you know of other church families impacted, please email us at admin@iarbc.org.

Center Street Baptist, Marshalltown
Thank you for checking on us!   We have several families in the church who have major damage to their homes, garages and property.   Huge trees are down, and blocking streets and buildings, so the extent of the damage is not known yet.  We’ve had disaster relief groups contact the church, offering to come to town to help.  But the city is asking that no one from outside try to come yet, because it is too difficult to try to assess what is actually needed.    Power is off in most of the area hit by the tornado, which is an extensive area.   There are gas leaks, which they are trying to identify and get fixed.   Many issues!    People are helping people, but it is slow because of the extent of damage, and streets are blocked by trees and debris, making travel through town slow and impossible in some places.
We and the church are on the South end of town, which had no damage at all.  So, we are trying to help those not as fortunate.   No one from our church was injured, and there were miraculously no fatalities in the city.  Praise the Lord.
Prayers for strength and encouragement would be appreciated for all, especially those who have suffered damage and/or are without power.  It will be a long, difficult recovery process!
Linda Bailey, Administrative Assistant

Berean Baptist Church, Pella
Thank you to all who have expressed concern following the tornado that touched down yesterday in Pella. The majority of the damage occurred at the Vermeer manufacturing campus about a mile and a half from our church facility. Our pastor acted as one of many chaplains at the local hospital following the devastation and was able to report there were remarkably no deaths and only seven with injuries serious enough to be brought in. All of our church family and their homes are safe. However, many of us, as well as friends, neighbors and family hold positions at Vermeer, closed last night and today for building safety and damage assessment. We are convinced Vermeer will rebuild but no one knows what that process will look like. Please be in prayer with us as our community waits and pulls together in active support of each other as well as Vermeer Corporation looking toward the future. All is in the hands of our omnipotent, loving God. Amen.
Joyfully serving the Lord,
Pastor Bruce