Eighteen months after a microburst ripped off almost half of its copper-shingled roof and damaged its steeple, First United Methodist Church of Elgin is ready to show off its restored building and thank those who helped them along the way.
“When the storm came, this community stood with us,” said the Rev. Felicia LaBoy, lead pastor of the 216 E. Highland Ave. church. “People prayed for us, encouraged us, gave, opened doors, and reminded us again and again that we were not rebuilding alone. Now we want to open our doors and say thank you.”
Repair and restoration work following the March 15, 2025, devastation cost about $7.9 million, LaBoy said. In addition to replacing the roof and steeple and repairing the church’s interior, about $700,000 went to the building’s west wing, which had been damaged three months earlier by a burst pipe.
The congregation received grants and donations to pay for what wasn’t covered by insurance. About $370,000 came from its members, area residents, businesses, other Elgin churches, and United Methodist churches affiliated with the Northern Illinois Annual Conference, she said.
Grants included $50,000 each from the National Fund for Sacred Places and the United Methodist Church, a $10,000 disaster relief grant, a $5,000 tech grant and a $5,000 local church grant.
“What’s been accomplished is really a miracle, and we are so grateful to so many folks,” LaBoy said.
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After the storm, crews had to remove pews, disassemble and store parts of the organ, and begin repair work on the roof, sanctuary, masonry, floor and steeple of the 102-year-old building. Jeremy Bates, of Precision Roofing, served as historic preservation roofing contractor and Patrick Jackowiec, of ServPro in Elgin, was interior restoration contractor.
“They are the real heroes of the story and experts in dealing with disasters,” LaBoy said.
Jackowiec, whois currently overseeing the repair of a 120-year-old church in St. Louis damaged by a May tornado, said there is an emotional factor that comes with such projects. You have to do preservation work that is respectful to the years of traditions and the age of items but you also need to carry out the job in an expedient manner, all while having to work with local officials to ensure permits are issued and currents codes met, he said.
“Elgin was a great partner,” Jackowiec said.
Some modern touches were added, including the conversion of one room into a podcast studio and the addition of smart technology and a new security system, LaBoy said. While the bulk of the work is done, they still need to finish some tasks related to the tech projects and organ, she said.
While the church was out of commission, First United rotated its services to other churches and buildings made available to them, including the Elgin History Museum and First Congregational, First Presbyterian Second Baptist and Zion Lutheran churches.
“There are so many to thank, including our governance board, staff and volunteers who all worked hard to get us to this point; Jennifer Fukala at the Downtown Neighborhood Association; and Carol Gieske at the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce, who is a third-generation member of our church who helped us with fundraising and marketing,” LaBoy said. “All of this is to say this was truly a community effort.”
The one blessing was there were parts of the church that could still be used while the work was done. Among the outreach programs and community partnerships that continued without interruption were YouthBuild Elgin; the soup kettle; its emergency winter warming shelter, which it does with the city of Elgin; One Collective; an AA/NA group; Elgin Masons, Know Your Rights training; and several community game nights, she said.
Since the storm, the church also had added two new initiatives: one in partnership with Bridging Heart to support foster kids aging out of the foster care system and the other a YWCA Elgin ESL program for young adults and their toddlers.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The (Elgin) Courier-News.
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