CLIFTON FORGE, Va. -- When the rain drops start to fall, prayers go up at one Virginia church.
The congregation in the tiny town of Clifton Forge is dealing with a soggy problem and they’re reaching out for help to quite literally, raise the roof.
Rain water being caught in a church trashcan and visible water damage on the walls are sights haunting Kimberly Taylor and her family’s church congregation.
That’s what they deal with when rain has fallen. She keeps concerned members and followers who tune in online from across the country updated via social media.
Taylor’s dad, Pastor Leon Taylor who has led the First Church of God In Christ congregation for 37 years, says the situation is pretty dire.
He explains how things got so bad.
“We have a flat roof church. Over the years we have had it serviced and repaired because it’s flat, the water sits on top of the church. If there are leaves, it blocks sometimes the gutters and when it blocks the gutters, the water has a tendency to find itself into the walls,” Pastor Taylor said.
Now there’s visible damage inside, with a price tag — in the tens of thousands of dollars — looming large for their small congregation.
“If the walls are damaged like that, then there’s the tendency of the mold and mildew to build up. We have some people with breathing issues, so we don’t want that to be a problem for anyone. So, we want to get that done as quickly as we can,” Pastor Taylor added.
Church leaders say the congregation consists of mostly elderly parishioners and they’re in a feverish push to get their raise the roof campaign funded.
They need $40,000 to replace the roof with an A line structure to alleviate the water woes.
Due to a tough interruption by COVID in recent years, they want to work quickly so they won’t have to miss much time, saying members count on their church for help, hope and as a means of staying connected with each other and a higher power.
“Through the summer we’ve had programs where we feed the children. Whenever there’s an opportunity to be of service, we try to be of service. We have housed people," Taylor said. "We have put them up in hotels when they needed it. Anything like that, we try to do to make things better for folks. We have paid rent and helped with car payments as we have sought to service the community."
“Asking is very hard," Kimberly Taylor said. "In the history of our church, we have never made a public campaign. The scripture says whatsoever you sow, you shall reap. We have sown help and we have sown support, care, food. We’ve sown clothing and I just, in my prayer I’m just asking God- can they receive what they’ve so easily given out.”
There are several ways to give. Donors can help by contributing at any First Citizens Bank or other digital giving platforms listed here:
https://swipesimple.com/links/lnk_c237486b
Cash App: $1stcogiccf
Zelle: 1stcogiccf@gmail.com ( name associated with account Fannie Taylor)
Church leaders say donors can also mail checks to the church or its post office box:
First Church of God
603 Verge St.
Clifton Forge, VA 24422
P.O. Box 211
Clifton Forge, VA 24422
To contact the church, call
826-202- 2388 or 757-870-5628
The church is also having service to support its Raise The Roof Campaign on Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon at the church.
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