Princeton Church Damaged By Quake

Could the rumbling six miles below be a sign from above? Its a question a Princeton church congregation cant help but ask now that weve had 18 reported earthquakes since Friday. Experts tell us you can predict that an earthquake *will* happen, but not when and how big it will be. For First Baptist Church, whether chance or divine intervention, its providing motivation for the future. "They definitely think the north wall needs some attention, around the window and the bell tower, probably a third of the way or half the way down needs to be removed and replaced." Yellow tape and men on lifts surround First Baptist Church in Princeton as structural engineers take a closer look. Gone already, a spire from the bell tower removed before it could fall. Inside, cracked stained glass, dust on window sills and bowed ceiling tiles. Enough damage Pastor George Prinzing moved Sunday services to the high school. The pastor of one of the citys oldest churches cant help but wonder about the timing. "We had just met last Thursday night with the building committee people and trustees to get our building project moving. Weve already bought land to relocate and we kind of stalled lately." Whether its Gods timing? Its now full steam ahead for a new building. UE engineering professor Brian Swenty says timing is a tough to impossible call. Swentys closely watching the Wabash Valley Fault System. He says theres a difference between what can be predicted and what we can expect. "The Wabash Valley Fault System is very active and weve had a number of earthquakes and we can expect one of this magnitude, this 5.2 that we had last Friday, at least once a decade." Swenty says we need to plan for a major quake, not knowing when it could happen. Even if that means putting your faith in a higher power and stepping up efforts to find a new home for your faithful. The 300 plus members of First Baptist will likely meet in the fellowship hall in the coming weeks, and may never return to the current sanctuary. Professor Swenty says its common for aftershocks to continue for days, even weeks after an initial earthquake.