‘GOD GAVE US ANOTHER DAY’

The Rev. Vincent Johnson was busy preparing for a banquet in honor of his 17 years as head of Community Baptist Church in Nashville when he saw the sky shift to an angry dark gray. h He was aware of the forecasts of possible tornadoes that day, but the weather had seemed nice until that point. h In a flash, the wind picked up and the warning sirens howled. The pastor called to alert his deacon in a neighboring church building. h “My deacon said, ‘Take cover! This thing is on top of us!’ ” Johnson recalled. “There was no time to hide.” h Middle Tennessee continues to recover after a wave of powerful twisters that ripped through the region on Dec. 9, killing six people and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses in Clarksville, Madison, Springfield, Hendersonville, Gallatin and other areas. h An EF-2 rated tornado with 130 mph winds

carved a deadly path just outside of downtown Nashville. As it plowed through a mobile home park in Madison, it lifted a trailer and dropped it on top of another one, killing a mother as she held her 2-year-old son and their neighbor as he protected his family.

Johnson was in a daze as the twister hit his church like a bomb. He leaned against a wall on the inside hall near the sanctuary. Within seconds, the storm had passed, and he found himself

Jennifer Gamble

lying on his back buried in rubble, staring up at the open sky.

The church at 3838 Dickerson Pike where he had ministered for two decades was flattened.

In the aftermath, neighbors and first responders rushed to dig people from the debris. About 35 parishioners had been at the church helping to prepare for the banquet, and now they were scattered.

“It truly was a miracle. It’s hard to believe when you see it.”

An elderly woman was trapped between two wooden beams. Others were thrown across rooms. A deacon walked out of a bathroom that was missing three walls. A dozen people were transported to hospitals. Two parishioners suffered broken legs, while another had a broken sternum, but those who have seen the aftermath say it’s remarkable that no lives were lost.

“It truly was a miracle,” Metro Council member Jennifer Gamble said after she visited the site last week. “It’s hard to believe when you see it.”

God’s miracle

Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Johnson, 50, is a third generation church leader whose mother and grandmother were both pastors.

Johnson said he’s seen many signs in his life of God’s love, but this one was by far the strongest.

“Iron beams were bent and twisted,” he said. “Oak wood was shattered and torn apart. Benches and pews were broken down and bricks were thrown like paper, and yet, human flesh walked out with scratches and bruises and a few broken bones.”

“We’re so grateful that He kept us,” Johnson said. “God gave us another day.” In another miracle, he said, more than 100 parishioners were expected to be at the 5 p.m. banquet, but most were running late when the tornado hit before 5:30 p.m. Johnson’s wife, Donella, and their three daughters were all running late. His daughter Eyden, 22, was on her way when she got word that the church was gone. She didn’t know if anyone had survived.

“When she got there we just hugged and cried,” Johnson said.

‘Rebuild even stronger’ but first a focus on healing

Standing at the scene Tuesday morning, Johnson pointed to a pile of wooden beams that buried him in the storm. He stood in what was once his sanctuary, surrounded by scattered bibles and shattered pews. His office walls were open to the sun, but a picture of his late mother still hung, unscathed.

“I have nothing to complain about after coming out of something like this,” he

said, shaking his head.

He was joined by parishioner Brenda Lucas, who suffered an injured leg in the wreckage.

“I’m just extremely sore but mighty blessed,” she said.

Community Baptist Church, which has about 250 members, has long been a staple in the community, feeding and housing those experiencing homelessness in its buildings.

Johnson said he hopes to rebuild the church at the same location, but for now, his main focus is providing counseling for his church members and for his own mental health.

He hopes everyone who experienced trauma in the storms last week across Middle Tennessee can get the mental health support they need.

“We’ve been effective in the community and our intent is to rebuild,” he said. “And to rebuild even stronger.”

For information on helping Community Baptist Church visit www.cbcnash.org.

STEPHANIE AMADOR/THE TENNESSEAN The Rev. Vincent Johnson looks at the damage and recalls the night a tornado took down Community Baptist Church on Dickerson Pike in the Madison area of Nashville. “I have nothing to complain about after coming out of something like this,” he said.

The Rev. Vincent Johnson gives George Presley a hug at the site of Community Baptist Church in Madison. Johnson was with Presley when the tornado hit and the building collapsed over them. Presley was blown into the bathroom and was the last one to be rescued from the rubble.

PHOTOS BY TEPHANIE AMADOR / THE TENNESSEAN The Rev. Vincent Johnson kisses Mary Bradley on the cheek while she recovers at Tristar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. Bradley, a church member, was injured during the storm.