T-R PHOTO BY THOMAS NELSON New Hope Christian Church was damaged by the Aug. 10 derecho, as were many other churches in Marshalltown. Despite the damage, members are helping their church and their neighbors.

Some Marshalltown churches got hit with the wrath of the derecho, but members are putting forth effort to help fellow residents.

The destructive Aug. 10 derecho left behind broken stained glass windows and made at least one church too damaged to house its congregation.

Father Alan Dietzenbach, of St. Francis of Assisi, was returning to Marshalltown after a visit to Eastern Iowa when the storm hit.

“I was coming back from the Quad Cities,” he said. “I drove right into it.”

He got a message telling him there was water in one of the entryways of the church. So Dietzenbach called the church’s business manager.

“She said, ‘Pull over right now wherever you are,'” he said.

The church has a Good Samaritan Fund set up to help people in need, those who cannot get assistance from insurance or other community organizations.

“As a last effort for the poor,” Dietzenbach said. “Luckily we had that up and running.”

While there has not been any organized effort by the church to help those with damaged homes in Marshalltown, parishioners have gone out of their way to help each other.

“People’s neighbors showed up and were there and helped out,” Dietzenbach said.

Dietzenbach’s parish has three different sites – St. Henry and St. Mary, in Marshalltown; and Immaculate Conception in Haverhill.

St. Mary and Immaculate Conception had stained glass windows break and staples blown out.

“Immaculate Conception had its roof damaged,” Dietzenbach said.

Many of the trees which were at St. Henry are now gone.

“There were a lot of little things,” Dietzenbach said. “I kind of feel like the tornado prepared us for this.”

Faith Church has seen the need to help others and handed out grab-and-go hot meals this week.

New Hope Christian Church’s building on South Center Street, near Marshalltown Community College is still repairing the damage to its building. However the congregation is helping those in need. Services are being held outside for the time being.

Some members of the congregation are helping with tree removal and general clean-up.

“A lot of our congregation had their own damage so we didn’t have as many teams as over the tornado,” said Don Albert, administrative director. “We still have a list of people going out in teams and trying to help out.”

New Hope got power back about a week ago, and they have offered cooling rooms to people.

The derecho took out a 10 foot section of the church’s auditorium roof.

“They kind of put a big shrink rap over the whole building,” Albert said.

Members of the congregation have been texting and emailing each other when they can to let one another know they’re OK and who needs help.

“We’ve had people go out in their neighborhoods with chainsaws and trailers to help,” Albert said.

Those groups have also helped some of the church’s senior women who have found themselves without power and with damaged property.

Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com.