Bell County church members, homeowners begin cleaning up debris after tornado

Baptist Church in Bell County destroyed by tornado days before Easter

After a tornado ripped through Bell County, one pastor is having to pivot for Easter Service after his church was destroyed.

SALADO, Texas - All that is left of Victory Baptist Church in Salado is the foundation and flooring.

"We didn’t have a clue about any of it until someone called us. We were in the process of moving at home, and so they called and said our church is gone," said Billy Borho, pastor.

Billy Borho has been with the church for 43 years. For him and his members, the church building is rich with history and cherished memories.

The pastor visited church Wednesday morning, after a quarter-mile wide tornado ripped through Bell County.

"I’m crushed, it hurts, I mean it hurts, but I have to go back," said Borho.

The tornado started on the Williamson and Bell County line and traveled eight miles northeast hitting Salado, and Borho's church.

"Our community’s generosity has already been expressed and greatly appreciated as we work to recover from this tornado event," said David Blackburn, Bell County Judge.

This Easter Sunday will be looking a lot different for parishioners.

"We will have our Sunday service here on the platform where the auditorium used to be. There has been a gracious group of people that said don’t worry about a sound system and don’t worry about chairs, we will do all of that," said Borho.

Tornado touches down in Bell County near Salado, recovery efforts begin

Officials say the tornado touched down at the Bell and Williamson County line and traveled northeast. 12 people were hospitalized and one of them is in critical condition. FOX 7 Austin's Bridget Spencer has latest details.

That group helping them out came from Celebration Church in Georgetown.

"People are hurting right now. And we want to encourage them, give them hope and let them know we can rebuild and rebuild together," said Christian Williamson, campus pastor at Celebration Church.

This latest disaster brought back painful memories of the Jarrell tornado 25 years ago.

"We sat right here at the back of this church and watched that tornado go right across over there," said Borho.

But this time, he was directly hit. But it is not stopping Borho from rebuilding and keeping hope alive.

"The church of Jesus Christ doesn’t have a scratch. There is a little paint that needs to be painted around here. But the church is not this building," said Borho.

___
MORE HEADLINES:
NWS classifies Bell County tornado near Salado high-end EF-3 with max winds of 165 mph
23 people hurt in Bell County after tornado touches down
Central Texas severe weather: Tornadoes, hail in Bell, Williamson Counties
Videos show tornadoes touching down in Central Texas
Viewers share photos, videos during severe weather in Central Texas
___
DOWNLOAD: FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP
SUBSCRIBE: Daily Newsletter | YouTube
FOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter