The day after Hurricane Ida passed through Downingtown on Sept. 1, 2021, people showed up to Messiah Lutheran Church, one of the locations that was devastated by the floodwaters. However, not all of those who worked at the church removing water-soaked carpeting, drywall and furniture were congregation members.

"That was Labor Day weekend, and there were hundreds of people out. People were just showing up to the area and helping. It was beautiful," said the Rev. Timothy Knauss, pastor, dubbing the help as "God sightings." "The entire community rallied to meet the needs of Downingtown's neighbors and businesses."

Now, more than a year after the devastation, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church was able to worship in the church sanctuary for the first time on Dec. 11. "It's been a long process, and we're not fully recovered yet, but worshiping in our sanctuary is a tremendous step forward for us," said Knauss.

According to Knauss, the storm brought nearly 200,000 gallons of water into the church basement below a portion of the building and brought in almost four feet of water throughout the complex. "The altar actually floated on the platform that it sat on, (so) the altar did not get damaged with water," he noted.

Immediately following the flood, the congregation worshiped together via Zoom, as it did during the pandemic.

In November 2021, Messiah partnered with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Coatesville to worship together, with the help of the Rev. Susan Lynch, Good Shepherd's late pastor. "Our choirs joined together, and our praise team came over for the second service," Knauss said. "It was awesome to see two congregations and two styles of worship working together."

At the end of July of 2022, Messiah's congregation returned to its church building, holding worship services in the church's fellowship hall, which became a makeshift chapel. In August, the congregation voted to move forward with a partial restoration of the sanctuary.

"It doesn't look the same. We have pews from another church that we bought that were not designed for our facility, but we'll get there," Knauss stated, noting that the previous pews absorbed water and swelled, so they had to be discarded. "We are calling it a minimal restoration," he noted.

The church is now discussing other renovations, along with the help of FEMA. "Our fellowship hall and our sanctuary are on a concrete slab, but our connecting building, where our church offices and preschool were located, is going to require a more in-depth conversation because of the basement," explained Knauss.

Knauss said he is grateful for how the church and community worked together through a tragedy. "It's how God works in all of us. There is always a light (and) hope," he said.

Messiah Lutheran Church is located at 46 W. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown. Worship services are held on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and on Sundays at 10 a.m. For more information, visit http://www.messiahlutherans.com or http://www.facebook.com/messiahlutherandowningtown.