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Gusty winds topple steeple from historic rural Warren County church

Jay Redfern Jay Redfern
Crews work to secure Gerlaw Christian Church in Warren County on Saturday afternoon. A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic church Friday night.
Crews work to secure Gerlaw Christian Church in Warren County on Saturday afternoon. A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic church Friday night. (JAY REDFERN/WGIL)

Intense winds that roared through West Central Illinois on Friday night ripped off the steeple of an historic church in rural Warren County.

Cleanup crews and members of Gerlaw Christian Church remained on scene Saturday afternoon securing the building, which dates back to 1894.

Friday night’s winds, estimated between 60-80 mph by the National Weather Service Quad Cities, caused the top sections of the steeple to fall onto the roof, puncturing a hole in the far side of the church.

A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic Gerlaw Christian Church on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy Gerlaw Christian Church)
A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic Gerlaw Christian Church on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy Gerlaw Christian Church)

The damage is believed to have occurred during a storm that quickly passed through the area between 9 and 10 p.m. Friday.

Joe Grodjesk, chairperson of the Gerlaw Christian Church planning committee, tells WGIL interior damage to the building was minimal — primarily a wet seat and some cracks in the ceiling’s tin lining.

“it appears that the the top section of the steeple kind of laid over onto the roof of the church, and then the very point of the steeple tumbled over the top and poked a hole in the far side of the church and then landed on the ground here,” Grodjesk said.

A replica of Gerlaw Christian Church sits in the sanctuary on Saturday afternoon. A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic church Friday night.
A replica of Gerlaw Christian Church sits in the sanctuary on Saturday afternoon. A storm that packed winds between 60 and 80 mph ripped off the steeple of the historic church Friday night. (JAY REDFERN/WGIL)

The regular attendee list is around 100 people, with typical Sunday service attendance being 60 to 70. The church will conduct services in the fellowship hall on Sunday.

Grodjesk said, the primary reaction from church members has been “shock,” adding the congregation is “just trying to trying to wrap our heads around the scope of what’s yet to come.”

Church secretary Randi Grodjesk said there was no damage to the stained glass windows.

The church, which previously underwent a steeple restoration in the mid-2000s, is now working with insurance and engineers to assess the structural integrity and plan for repairs, according to Joe Grodjesk.

The congregation, according to Grodjesk, was founded earlier in 1859, a couple of miles from the current location, and subsequently moved to the current site in 1894.

Wind storm topples steeple at Gerlaw Christian Church

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