Elgin, Illinois church damaged by severe storms to move worship services to temporary new home

A 101-year-old church damaged by severe storms last weekend in Elgin, Illinois, will hold virtual worship services on Sunday, before moving to a temporary new home later this month.

Early Saturday, a microburst tore the copper roof off the First United Methodist Church as storms blew through the Chicago area, sending massive pieces of the roof into the street.

No one was injured, but the sanctuary will be closed to the public until further notice while crews assess the damage and prepare repairs.

Church officials said they plan to continue their ministry. Services on Sunday will be virtual, then beginning on March 30, in-person worship will be held at a temporary new home at Cornerstone UMC in Elgin.

Starting March 31, other ministries – such as quilting, knitting, youth groups, AA programs, and other programs – will be held in the east and west wings of the First United, which are structurally sound.

Activities such as funerals and post-service fellowship will be held at the temporary site at Cornerstone.

"We recognize that this is an emotional time for our members, ministry partners, and the wider Elgin community," said Rev. Dr. Felicia LaBoy, Lead Pastor of First UMC Elgin. "We know that many of you want to visit the church, but we must emphasize that this is an active construction site. For safety reasons, there is no unauthorized access to the building. We are still identifying potential structural concerns, especially in the sanctuary, and need to allow the space to dry out properly."

Church leaders hope to have sufficient repairs completed to reopen the sanctuary at First United by Advent in late November.