SUMMERFIELD, N.C. — A Summerfield church crossed one item off its Christmas list early when it installed a new steeple Wednesday.
You may remember that strong winds blew the steeple off of Liberty Wesleyan Church over the summer.
Pastor Danny Janes said the repairs were delayed by supply shortages. The new steeple was installed just shy of the six-month anniversary of the storm that caused the damage.
"The timing of it is great because it's almost like a Christmas present to us," Janes said.
The cross on the old steeple survived the fall but was too bent to be put back on the new one. The church kept it as a keepsake.
"It's kind of a metaphor that the cross of Jesus Christ has weathered many storms but has always emerged intact," James said.
He believes it's the people, not the steeple that defines a church. One of those people is a little boy named Hudson McKinney. He's become the church steeple's biggest fan since it fell.
"It fell down because of the storm," McKinney said. "but now it's fixed."
He and his mom were on the way to vacation bible school when it came down.
"Everybody who was here was out there looking at the steeple and we just couldn't believe it," Magan McKinney said. "Every time we drive by he talks about when the steeple is going to be fixed. He has told his friends about it. He's told all of our family and people just enjoy him telling the story of how the steeple fell."
The McKinneys have been part of the congregation here for decades. Janes hopes Hudson will be a part of a new generation to open the doors.
"The church is much bigger than any steeple that can be blown down or building that can be destroyed," Janes said.
Janes said insurance paid most of the $26,000 it cost to repair the steeple.