MACON, Ga. — Here's the church, and here's the steeple! A church in North Macon has its crown back after members say they strive to rebuild.
Northminister Presbyterian Church held a "big lift" watch party for the congregation to see their new steeple lifted onto their church.
In April of last year, an EF 1 tornado hit Macon at speeds of 90 miles per hour, which took down the church's historic steeple. The congregation sees it as a piece of their history.
On Friday, they came together to watch the steeple driven down from Kentucky placed on the church. The congregation was waiting patiently.
Pastor Ralph Hawkins has served the Northminister Presbyterian Church congregation for five years.
"Everybody asks all of us, 'Oh how's the steeple?', 'when are you gonna get your steeple?' you know?" Pastor Hawkins said.
While the church felt incomplete, the congregation at Northminister Presbyterian got together to support it.
"We're just kind of excited to sort of start feeling like we're back to normal," Pastor Hawkins said. "Between COVID-19, which everybody dealt with, and the building damage from the tornado, the damage it did to our church was to blow over our steeple, a 65-foot 8,000-pound aluminum steeple that was put up in 1980."
Sarah Morrow, a church member since 1975, talked about how it impacted the community.
"It was absolutely immediate," Morrow said. "Not only our church members, but the surrounding community was here, and people would ride by and stop and want to know what they could do to help."
A newly built steeple was driven down from Kentucky and placed on the church on Friday. The congregation even got together for a "big lift" watch party, which made them feel complete.
"It's been a couple of years for us as a church, so we're definitely glad to sort of feel like life is getting back to normal," Pastor Hawkins said.
They said their faith in God and their faith in the community is what got this steeple closer to the heavens.
"The building is wonderful, but it's really the people that make our church," Virginia Cowsert.
Northminister Presbyterian Church is located at 565 Wimbish Road.