Dearborn church left barely standing after shingles crash through roof

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A church getting a new roof will now spend a year repairing much of the structure after construction caused the ceiling to collapse.

It left the Solid Rock Church barely standing - a challenge the faith organization's reverend is ready to tackle head-on.

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Reverend Nathan Haye's faith remains as solid as ever.

But the same can't be said for the Solid Rock Church in Dearborn, where Hayes preaches. Only one person was inside, and fortunately managed to escape without injuries.

"She was able to get out. She had seen dust coming in through the walls and was able to get out. Fortunately nobody else was in there so we’re thankful for that," said Hayes.

In an unfortunate spell of irony, the damage started because of construction being done on the roof.

"Unfortunately, somebody made a mistake I believe, and stacked the shingles all in one spot instead of spacing them out and it just caved in the church," said Hayes. "The damage done runs deep."

The church is now on the precipice of toppling over. 

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Hayes credits a piece of equipment with the only thing keeping the structure standing.

Now, three different insurance companies are in talks about what should be repaired and who is going to pay for it. Hayes expects it will take a year to fix up.

For now, he's on the lookout for a place where he and his 100 members can worship on Sundays.

"We're actually going to start up on Sunday. We rented out a library and they’re gonna have us and then we have the Dearborn heights community center the next week and then we’ll keep pushing forward. We’re going to figure this out," said Hayes.

"You’ve got to keep a smile on your face and say with God all things are possible. So we just keep going forward," he added.