Cleanup continues after homes, church damaged by tornado in Mesquite

MESQUITE, Texas - Cleanup continued in Mesquite on Sunday, just a day after a confirmed EF-0 tornado caused damage to several homes and a church in the area.

The Emmanuel Pentecostal Church suffered damage to the roof and other property damage, with police reports saying metal from the church’s roof even blew off onto I-635.

MORE: NWS confirms EF-0 tornado hit Mesquite

The church canceled its Sunday services and activities, but several church members found a way to come together for worship anyway.

“You can see the ceiling. When the wind came through, it kind of, like, it had taken a sheet, it just kind of rattled the entire ceiling,” said Chad Flowers, pastor at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.

As Saturday's EF-0 tornado ripped through Mesquite, damaging winds tore off part of the church’s roof.

”We have a wonderful, new, unanticipated skylight we're trying to actually get rid of,” Flowers joked.

With church officials having to assess the damage, the church has had to cancel events in the activities center for now.

The storm came through right before some church members were scheduled to meet for choir practice. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Bricks were ripped from the side of the building, a billboard was mangled, and the maintenance building also suffered some damage.

The church also lost power after Saturday’s storms, forcing officials to cancel Sunday services.

Instead, members gathered in small groups around Mesquite to worship.

Church leaders say despite the tornado damage, they still have a lot to be thankful for.

”Our church is a marvelous church, marvelous people. They're very positive. Things just don't get them down,” said Richard Flowers, senior pastor at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.

Late Sunday morning, power was restored to most of the building, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

”We've dedicated the property to the lord and as a house of worship, and we do all kinds of things there,” Flowers added. “That's where we meet, but the people are the church. And they're quite resilient, so we'll bounce back from this pretty easily.”

Church officials estimate it will take three to six months to finish all the repairs.

They expect to be able to hold services in the sanctuary as soon as Wednesday.