CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — On Saturday afternoon, Dan and Kelly Gerstenberger were at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Cuyahoga Falls, doing some work in the church’s office. As the church’s trustee chair and secretary respectively, the couple has been part of the church community for about 14 years.
What started as a quiet day updating the church’s website turned into quite an ordeal when Kelly looked out the window to see a large portion of the church’s roof come off.
“I’m watching the wind lift up the roof at this end of the building, and it pulls it over, down, and then it starts swinging towards my office window,” she said. “At that point, I yell to my husband Dan, ‘Dan, move!’ and jumped up out of my chair and ran to the door.”
Dan also noted that a heating and cooling unit from the roof had also been blown off and fallen to the ground.
“That’s not good because there’s electricity and gas going to it, and if it’s down here, those aren’t connected to anything,” he said. “I called 911 again and told them I need an emergency gas turn-off.”
The gas and electricity to the building were shut off for safety, and luckily, no windows in the church were broken when the roof landed against the building.
On Monday, Dan said crews were back to make repairs, and get the electricity and gas back up and running.
“We were able to bring the power back on, and after a few other changes and things, we’ll be ready to start bringing the gas back on and we can have furnaces running again,” he said.
As of Monday evening, appliances like the stove, oven and hot water heater are back up and running. A structural engineer will be brought in to ensure the building is safe. Especially the second story of the education are, which is used by Montessori students.
As for the roof, crews have come to cover the top of the building with tarps, but Dan has no timeline yet for just how long repairs will take.
“Now it’s just getting things sealed up and starting the process, then comes getting the materials, scheduling the time, working around the fun weather in April, because you can’t really put a roof on when it’s pouring down rain,” he said.
Both Dan and Kelly expressed concerns over possible rain in the forecast on Wednesday. As of Monday afternoon, Dan said they were also still waiting on the insurance adjuster.
The most impacted part of the building is the education wing, where a Montessori school leases space. The Gerstenbergers said they are hoping to have students back in on Monday, though they may still need to operate space heaters in the space.
However, those who do not depend on that specific space in the church may be back in much sooner.
“For anyone who doesn’t use this part of the building, it could be open tomorrow," he said. "So we have several 12-step programs that come in, and they have groups that meet here, and we’re planning to be ready to have Sunday service here too at this point. We just keep moving along and if not, we’ll make alternate plans just like we did on Saturday.”
On Sunday, Palm Sunday services were held at nearby First Christian Church, which shares a pastor with Pilgrim United Church of Christ.