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Bethany Church reopens after August 2016 flood
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BAKER - For the first time since the August 2016 flood, Bethany Church held its Sunday service in the main chapel.
Senior Pastor Rev. Jonathan Stockstill said being back in the facility is a "total miracle."
Last summer, four feet of water rushed through the church causing nearly $3 million in damages.
"Walking through and seeing all the damage ... it was almost a feeling of hopelessness," Stockstill said.
Church members immediately started doing whatever they could to help Bethany rebuild.
"We pulled up in a boat and we walked in and walked down to the front," State Senator and church member Rick Ward said. "Water was starting to come in so we started moving as many chairs as we could."
Thanks to a large amount of donations and volunteering by church members, Bethany was able to reopen.
In addition to rebuilding their own church, the Bethany congregation helped raise money for other flood-damaged churches.
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