Pastor Shocked, But Grateful After Truck Plows Into Norman Church

A church in Norman is under repair after a truck rammed into the building on Sunday night.

Grace Presbyterian Church on 24th Ave. is temporarily closed until repairs can be made.

“Not what I was expecting to see,” said Pastor Todd Dole.

Dole has been the pastor for Grace Presbyterian for the last five years. He said the church just moved into its new building one month ago.

“It was a lot of shock,” said Dole. “It’s a brand new spot for us. We don’t even have our sign up yet in front of the building.”

Norman Police said the driver of a pickup had a seizure, or a medical episode, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle. The driver hit the pillar of the building, and drove into the church.

“We’re praying for him,” said Dole about the driver.

Police said the driver luckily had no injuries from the crash. Dole is most grateful that no one was inside the church when the accident happened.

“It took place after our evening service had finished. People had gone home. About two hours earlier, it would have been much, much worse,” he said.

It may take a while for everything to be repaired, but Dole is still planning to hold services on Sunday. If the building is structurally sound, he may decide to hold it in the damaged church, but there is a chance they will need to rent out a space temporarily.