By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Nearly one year has passed since wind and hail from July 16, 2023, wreaked havoc on Great Bend. One of the biggest scars from that storm is finally healed for good. On Sunday, July 14, First Southern Baptist Church, 3301 19th Street in Great Bend, will host Celebration Sunday. Pastor Tim Singleton called it a rededication with a purpose.
"The community has been great," he said. "We've had so many sub-contractors and contractors who have just been an enormous help to us. Then our church. Our church stepped up and shouldered a lot of the load and really got us to this point."
A steel beam was added to the north end of the church to reinforce the walls and ceiling against future wind events. In March, students from Great Bend High School's woodworking class used old lumber from the church to build a faux beam to cover the steel.
"We've been in there for about two months but we still had finishing touches left," Singleton said. "We had some walls even go up this week. We've been in but it's now complete. We've hit that point really this week."
The special Celebration Sunday will begin on July 14 at 10:45 a.m.