Strong winds caused destruction around both sides of the ministry headquarters.
A tornado touched down just feet away from the It Is Written ministry headquarters in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States, early Monday, April 13, 2020. Reports of power outages, missing persons, and deaths filled local news reports that morning.
The It Is Written offices were running on generator power Monday. When staff arrived to check on the building, they were met with debris across the parking lot and scores of trees snapped in half around the building. Power was restored to the building on Tuesday, April 14.
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According to It Is Written speaker/director John Bradshaw, the April 13 tornado caused destruction around both sides of the ministry’s building, but the building itself was spared. [Photo: It Is Written]
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Tornado destruction around the It Is Written headquarters took place just three days before the launch of the “Hope Awakens” evangelistic series, which will be live-streamed from the ministry headquarters. [Photo: It Is Written]
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Several trees destroyed by the April 13 tornado fell on the ministry headquarters parking lot, just a few feet from the building. [Photo: It Is Written]
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Scores of trees were uprooted or broken in half just a few feet from the It Is Written ministry headquarters in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States, on April 13, 2020. [Photo: It Is Written]
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Drone footage shows the extent of damages to trees surrounding the It Is Written ministry headquarters in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States, after tornadoes passed through the area in the early hours of April 13, 2020. [Photo: It Is Written]
“Miraculously, the building was spared,” said John Bradshaw, It Is Written speaker and director. “It became clear when we looked at drone footage that tornadoes had come through on either side of our ministry home. They flattened trees along two distinct paths before lifting just yards short of a nursing home and a dental practice. We’re extremely grateful to God, and we are praying for those families and businesses that have experienced devastating loss. We were spared from what would have been a disaster. Literally, a few feet in either direction and things would be very different today.”
The storm came just days before It Is Written is set to begin “Hope Awakens,” a virtual online evangelistic series. More than 24,000 people have registered for the live event, which begins Friday, April 17, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and registrations continue to pour in.
“We are trusting God to get us up and running in time for the meetings,” Bradshaw said. “God knows how urgent it is that people hear hope and certainty when there is so little in the world right now.”
Bradshaw will be the featured speaker during “Hope Awakens,” which will be live-streamed online and on mobile apps.
The original version of this release was posted on the It Is Written Updates blog.