Sand Springs Students Use Day Off To Clean Up Damaged Church Building

There was no school Thursday in Sand Springs because of all the storm damage so many high school students used the day off to clean up storm debris.

They said this is their community and they couldn't imagine sleeping in while their neighbors are in need. 

The students met early Thursday at Charles Page High School and split up into groups spreading out across the community helping out in wherever help was needed. 

One group made up of sophomores and juniors ended up at Keystone Hills Baptist Church on Prue Road. They were picking up splintered pieces of wood and carrying parts of the roof that had been ripped from the building to a big dumpster in the parking lot. They even moved a piano, untouched by the storm.

"Thankfully house my house wasn't touched, but for other who's houses did get demolished it feels good just helping them get back together," said Erin Jordon, junior at Charles Page High School. 

There were 60 people inside the church Wednesday night when the tornado tore through. The majority were children there for the church's Wednesday night service. The children took cover in the center room. 

The pastor said the children were crying and the adults were singing. Once the storm passed, all learned how lucky the were. The sanctuary had been ripped apart with the baptismal pool now outside. 

Church members said their spirits are not are not broken.

"The Lord took care of us, the people are safe what's important. The building can be replaced. The church is inside of us, it's not the building," said Mark Bane, pastor at Keystone Hills Baptist Church. 

The pastor says they'll have have their Palm Sunday service as normal this weekend, but instead of meeting in the sanctuary, they will gather in their fellowship hall.

"The church is inside of us," Bane said. "It's not this building."