TORNADO IN LAKE CITY By Dr. Jim Pratt
Refuge General Baptist Church in Lake City, Arkansas has endured a number of disasters throughout its history. Organized in 1890 the church’s first building was destroyed by fire December 20, 1920. The next fifteen years they met at Bowman School along with two other churches, the Church of Christ, and the Missionary Baptist Church. In October 1935, a wood frame church building with dirt floor was built by members. In April 1965, a new 30 x 60 block building was built. After a few upgrades and additions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a covered entrance was added in March 1984. This church building was destroyed by a tornado on April 3, 1984. Refuge Church once again stood strong and rebuilt with its first service in the new building held on September 9, 1984. In July 1997, the multi-purpose building was completed, and an extension was added in 2002. In 2006, the youth room was added, and in 2007 an outdoor pavilion completed. Then 2020 happened. Pastor Steve Hinkle shared that Refuge Church, as a result of COVID-19, spent time having worship services online and then began meeting in the church’s east lot for drive-in services. Eventually, they began meeting indoors and gathered in the gymnasium, practicing social distancing and wearing facial coverings. They held worship in the sanctuary on August 16, 2020, for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Pastor Steve reminded the church, “Although it sure felt good to be back home, it is not about the building, the people are the church.” On August 27, 2020 the remnants of Hurricane Laura impacted Refuge Church bringing a new disaster. A tornado once again struck Refuge Church. Pastor Steve, his wife, and son waited out the storm in the church parsonage across the parking lot from the church facilities. Just as they made their way to the bathroom in their house, they heard the tornado and could feel the house shaking. Once they felt safe, they exited their house and saw all the damage. The church pavilion and fellowship hall were destroyed, as well as a storage building on the church property. The main building that houses the sanctuary was extensively damaged. Miraculously, there was very little damage done to the parsonage located less than 50 feet from the destroyed buildings. Pastor Steve believes that, without a doubt, God protected them.
24 | General Baptist Messenger Winter 2020
