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'The Lord has been very kind to us.' Church rebuilds after Hurricane Dorian rips off part of roof

On Friday, members of the church and others in the community came together to help clean up. Some cut up tree limbs and others removed water from the inside.

James Island, S.C. - One James Island church is looking to repair their building after part of their roof was blown off by Hurricane Dorian.

On Thursday, the hurricane stormed through the South Carolina Coast. Strong winds and heavy rain brought down trees, signs, and power lines.

At one point, there were over 225,000 power outages in Charleston, Georgetown, and Dorchester counties.

Fortunately, damage was minimal across most of the Palmetto State.

One area that received much more of the damage was James Island.

The Holy City Church had one of the worst scenes of damage. Pastor Brian Powell says Hurricane Dorian took out part of their roof on Thursday.

"We sustained some roof damage," said Powell. "A good portion of the rear part of our roof over our foyer and auditorium was ripped off."

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On Friday, members of the church and others in the community came together to help clean up. Some cut up tree limbs and others worked on removing water from inside the building. Holy City Church also worked with insurance to get everything squared away.

Originally, Powell says they were hoping they were going to be ones helping out people affected by the hurricane.

"We were really hoping with the South Carolina Baptist Convention that we would be an area of support for food and clothing and anything else," said Powell. "It was unfortunate that we're actually the ones that are having to receive aid."

Originally Holy City Church received the building as a gift when they first started in 2017.

Powell says they learned of the damage from a Charleston police officer who's friends with one of the other pastors at the church. He says it's meant a lot to see the response from the community.

"It's been really, really great. I think that's true of James Island. James Island feels like a small town community. It has for years," said Powell.

RELATED: Still 'too soon' to know the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian in SC

The pastor says as soon as people started learning about the roof, others were immediately reaching out to help. The Charleston Baptist Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, James Island Christian Church, and other pastors asked how they could help. Some have even offered placed for the church to worship while the roof is being repaired.

On Friday, the church wasn't sure how much damage was done. They say they have a deductible for Hurricane Insurance Coverage that's around $64,000. They're hoping that could help cover the cost.

Powell says they're confident God will help provide everything they need to rebuild and move forward.

"We're thankful that there was no life loss, that no one was injured. A building, you can repair," explained Powell. "It can be replaced. The church isn't the building. The church is the people. Our church is safe. We're very thankful. Our hope is not in this building. Our hope is in Christ."

For more information on the church, click here.

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