Here are some of the things Zeus-denying Christians have had to put up with since my last weather-related update on March 2:

—– High Winds Rip Off Indiana Church Roof (WLFI.com; March 9)

FLORA, Indiana: Hundreds of area residents are cleaning up after powerful winds and heavy rains swept through the area. Around 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon, much of the News Channel 18 viewing area was hit by the fast-moving storm system. High winds tookoff the roof at the Valley View Baptist Church in Flora. Church trustee member, Van Kauffman said he was surprised to find downed power lines and debris when he arrived at the church.

“First of all, the police wouldn’t let me in because there were power lines down. And as soon as I got here, I went inside and made sure there wasn’t a lot of damage inside. It’s not too bad yet,” Kauffman said.

Kauffman said church services for tonight were canceled because of the damage.

—– Tornado Destroys Illinois Church (WANDTV.com/The Associated Press; March 9)

GREENFIELD, Illinois: The National Weather Service now blames a pair of tornadoes for destroying buildings in central and southwestern Illinois….

Weather service meteorologist Ed Shimon (SHIM’-un) says a tornado destroyed a church and a farm house near Greenfield on Sunday. The town is about 60 miles north of St. Louis….

—– Mississippi Church Shattered By Storm (Kathleen Baydala/The Clarion-Ledger/USA Today; March 26)

MAGEE, Mississippi: Tornadoes that raked across southern and central Mississippi in the early morning hours Thursday destroyed dozens of homes here and injured at least 17 people….

Many in this city of around 5,000 people were without electricity and drinking water.

The twister began around 1:30 a.m. on the southwestern edge of the city and cut across to the northeast corner, said Katherine Gunby of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency….

Gunby said at least 60 homes were damaged and the Corinth Baptist Church was so shattered that “only the doors to its sanctuary were left standing.”

One of Barbara Fox’s sons was buried in the church cemetery in 2005. The ripping winds carried his flowers away but didn’t mar his headstone.

“It kills me,” Fox, 56, a lifetime member, said of the damage. “But we’ll build back. We’ll be stronger.”

There were other small miracles, Fox said. The pastor’s Bible was found open on his desk.

“There was hardly any rain on it,” she said….

—– Possible Tornado Destroys Catholic Parish Hall (Al Showers/WLOX.com; March 27)

HANCOCK COUNTY, Mississippi: Mother Nature left her mark on the White Cypress Lakes community Friday morning. But no where was the storm’s fury easier to see than at St. Matthew Catholic Church.

“It was devastating to say the least,” Father Noel Fannon said. “The parish hall took a direct hit. The entire end of the parish hall was demolished completely. It completely peeled off the roof.”

Father Noel Fannon is sure it had to be a tornado that touched down just feet from his house.

“I was watching Mike Reader on WLOX, the power went off, but I happened to have a portable TV. And just about 1:30, the noise was just unreal. It was like a freight train passing by. The rectory shook, so I dived for the bathroom.”

Within three to five minutes, Father Fannon said the noise stopped.

“It was a scary feeling. I prayed quite a bit, no doubt about it.”

The parish hall sustained extensive damage. The office, kitchen and a classroom were destroyed.

“That steel, as you can see, it just bent it like it was just a pencil. So the force of the tornado was just awesome.”…

Church officials say they hope to have the building back up within a couple of months.

—– New York Church Cross & Steeple Blasted By Lightning (Arielle Brechisci/Newsday; April 5)

Instead of sitting in pews in the St. James Lutheran Church for Palm Sunday service, dozens of congregants gathered in the lower-level parish hall, where they sat on folding chairs. Music came from a keyboard instead of the traditional organ.

And even though the building had been struck by lightning two days earlier, dedicated churchgoers were undaunted. “We would have found a way to have church no matter what, even if we had to have it in the parking lot,” said Christine Dingfelder, a St. James resident and church member for 30 years.

On Friday, the copper cross that had sat atop the steeple since 1923 was blown off and across Woodlawn Avenue, over a black chain-link fence and into a sump. Sunday, it was propped against the back wall of the parish hall near the podium.

“We thank the Lord no one was hurt and no more damage was done,” the Rev. Henry Schriever told members before the service began. “God must be watching over us and the people around here, with crosses flying around.”

He said it’s likely that Easter Sunday service won’t be held in the church, either. “I would like to, but I’m not too optimistic,” he said. “We need clearance from the town.” Signs taped to the front and side doors said the Town of Smithtown deemed the main worship area unsafe for occupancy.

Dingfelder, 58, said she was at work in Manhattan on Friday when her son sent a picture of the church’s burned steeple to her camera phone. “I was so upset,” said Dingfelder, whose three children were baptized and confirmed at the church, and where her daughter was married last year.

Stacie Godfrey said she and her family have been church members for 43 years. “We’re truly blessed to be here on Palm Sunday,” said Godfrey, 33, also of St. James, who was baptized at the church. “We need to all stick together.”

Godfrey said she found out about the lightning strike when she received a phone call from her sister, Patty Boyle. “It took me a few minutes to realize what happened,” said Boyle, 43, of Nesconset. “I drove by twice and then saw that the steeple was gone, and I realized it got hit by lightning.” But Boyle, who was also baptized at the church, said she wasn’t worried about Sunday’s service. “I knew they would figure something out.”

Torun Reduto, the Sunday school superintendent, said Sunday school for the church’s 240 children was canceled because it is normally held in the parish hall.

Reduto, 66, of St. James, said she was in “complete shock” when she heard the news from her daughter. “I felt bad we had to have it here” in the parish hall, Reduto, a member for 42 years, said after the 8:30 a.m. service. “But I’m thankful we could have it at all.”

The 500-pound bell that’s still on top of the church will be removed Tuesday, Schriever said. “It’s hanging, but it’s not hanging by very much.” Hesaid that, if the bell were to fall, it would go through the church’s balcony and possibly through the second floor.

—– Lightning Probable Cause Of Ohio Church Fire (Matt Hilderbrand/The People’s Defender; April 9)

PEEBLES, Ohio: Heavy thunderstorms covering the county late Sunday night caused more than just water damage, as area fire departments were called to douse a fire at a Peebles area church.

According to Chief Mike Estep of the Peebles fire department, at approximately 8:50 p.m. Sunday evening, a fire alarm was set off at the Peebles Church of Christ at 6050 Steam Furnace Road. Upon arriving at the scene, Estep reported seeing fire on the west side of the structure, where the roof and the side of the building connect.

“It is believed that a lightning strike was the cause of the fire,” Estep reported. “All indications point to that explanation.”

Franklin Township was also called to the scene for manpower. West Union Fire Department’s aerial engine tanker and the Scott Township rapid intervention team were also involved in fighting the flames. According to Estep, the flames remained centered around where the strike occurred and were quickly subdued.

There were no injuries reported in the incident.

According to Estep, an initial investigation saw damages totaling at least $10,000, with a majority of the damage being caused by smoke. Estep reported that he expects repairs to occur quickly and for the church to be fully operable in the coming weeks.

—– Lightning Shatters Georgia Baptist Church Steeple (Stephen Milligan/The Walton Tribune; April 15)

WALTON COUNTY, Georgia: A local church had a close call with some heavenly wrath recently as lightning struck the church steeple.

Center Hill Baptist Church, in the Gratis area, was struck by lightning around 11 p.m. Friday night and debris scattered everywhere in the resulting blast.

“The lightning struck the backside of the steeple,” said Pastor Marion Prather. “It came straight through the front of the steeple. It looked like an explosion afterward.”

Although the lightning knocked out the church sound system and damaged some computer systems, the church escaped more serious damage and the Walton County Fire Department had little to do when it arrived at the scene.

“We’re very fortunate it didn’t burn the church down,” Prather said. “We had our regular Easter service.”

—– Lightning Bolt Sends Tree Into English Church (Elise Brewerton/Portsmouth Today; April 16)

PORTSMOUTH, England: The full force of nature at its most powerful brought part of a huge ancient tree crashing down on to a church roof.

Lightning struck the 100ft sequoia in High Trees, Waterlooville, at 2.30am yesterday morning. About a third of it fell and hit the roof of London Road Baptist Church, making a hole and smashing a window.

Debris from the tree was strewn across the church grounds and along High Trees, filling at least three trucks full of broken branches.

It is believed to be around 150 years old, planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo after which the town is named. It is the last in the road named after the row huge of sequoias that once stood there majestically.

Minister Bill Longley said: ‘I got a call from the church secretary about 8.45am who said the sound of it falling was so loud it was as if his house had been struck.

‘It all happened at about 2.30am and it looks as though about a third of it has come off. It is sad because it is part of the area’s local history.

‘It was here well before the church was built and we have put a guess of about 150 years on it. The Heroes of Waterloo pub is nearby – there is a lot linking the area to the Battle of Waterloo.

‘There will only be about 60-70ft remaining but I’m hopeful the tree will survive.’

A team from the Highways Agency have spent all morning clearing away the broken branches. A nearby fence was also damaged.

Heavy downpours and thunder and lightning were felt across the area on Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday morning. Despite the sun coming out yesterday the rain is heading back today.

Rev Sam Owoo, assistant minister at the church, said: ‘We have to look into whether the damage is covered by insurance – we hope it is. It is not a massive hole considering the size of the tree. We may have to slightly scale back our activities to keep people away from it.’

—– Lightning Blasts Oklahoma Church (Lauri Rottmayer/KJRH.com; April 19)

TULSA, Oklahoma: Members of the Bluestem Baptist Church in Dewey will be worshipping in their gymnasium this Sunday morning instead of their church building. Early Saturday, at approximately 5:30 a.m., a bolt of lightning hit the church, catching it on fire. Fortunately, the building was empty at the time.

“The lightning came through the roof over the baptistery striking the steel beam,” said Youth Pastor Joseph Witt as he pointed to the twisted steel beam. Charred debris and water cover much of the front of the auditorium and the rest of the building. The room that holds the clothes and food that the church gives to needy community members is a part of the destruction as well as classrooms and restrooms. “The food and clothing is the way we give back to the community,” Witt said “and it’s all gone.”

Pastor Bill Spencer said that the church has been experiencing real growth and that there had been future expansion plans. “These people were here in the flood of ’86 when there was two feet of water in this auditorium,” he said. “We’ll get through this.”…

The Bluestem Baptist Church is a 45-year-old ministry with approximately 120 members. The insurance auditor will visit the church on Monday.

—– Lightning Blasts Alabama Church (FireFightingNews.com/The Decatur Daily; May 2)

FALKVILLE, Alabama: A fall from a ladder injured a Falkville firefighter Friday morning while battling a church fire after a lightning strike. Falkville Fire Chief Chris Free said Monty Cody was about 8 feet up a ladder at First Faith Church of Falkville when he fell.

“We think the injuries are minor, but we sent him to Cullman Regional Medical Center to get a foot checked out because he was having a little swelling,” the chief said.

Free said the hospital released him about 11:30 a.m. after X-rays.

“They put a brace on his foot and told him to stay off it for about two days,” Free said.

Free said eight Falkville firefighters, backed by four firefighters from Ebenezer, responded to the church at 1153 Culver Road at 8 a.m. after lightning struck the bell tower and steeple.

“It knocked about a 4- to 6-inch hole in the roof line, and then struck the rafters,” Free said. “It ignited the siding and insulation, which were on fire when we got there. The fire was at the front of the church, in the attic underneath the bell tower.”

Pastor Chuck Smith, who arrived about 45 minutes later and spoke with Free, called the strike “a direct hit.”

He said it appears the lighting exploded through the upper decking of the roof, traveled outward and blew out part of a metal vent in the front eave of the church.

“It caught the decking on fire and part of the insulation between the decking and the roof,” Smith said. “It also blew off some of the roofing shingles, and blew off parts of the bell tower back to the fellowship hall, which is behind the church.”

Smith said there is smoke damage throughout the church and water and other damage to the foyer.

“The strike blew out two huge panels of a mirrored ceiling onto the floor of the vestibule,” he said.

Smith, a guidance counselor at the Morgan County Learning Center, said he was at work when his son Dustin called and told him he heard that the church was on fire.

“I was expecting the worst, but I was really pleased to see there wasn’t as much damage as there could have been,” the pastor said. “I was praying on the way that no one would be injured. The firefighters had the fire under control when I arrived.”

He said he spoke to most of the firefighters, shook their hands and thanked them for their help and their rapid response in taking care of the situation.

Smith said Billy Bryan, church leader, arrived with the insurance adjuster.

“We’re expecting that the damage will be taken care of,” said Smith, who has been pastor for more than 11 years.

He said until repairs are completed, the church plans to meet across the road in the old Woodmen of the World building, which the town owns.

“On average, we have 35 to 40 each Sunday,” Smith said. “Our church will seat around 100. Our record attendance since I’ve been there is 75.”