Services will be held this weekend in several Polk County churches that are missing their steeples.

  • Polk County churches deal with Irma damage
  • Medulla Baptist Church must decide if it will replace steeple
  • At least four churches suffered damage from Irma

Hurricane Irma blew the steeples off of at least four churches in the county.

At the Medulla Baptist Church in Lakeland, the steeple punched a hole in the roof as it toppled to the ground.

"We are now deciding as a church if we should replace the steeple," said Pastor Mark Epperson. "Some people just don't think we need it anymore, but others like the tradition and want to keep the steeple."

The church isn't the only one facing such financial decisions.

At the first United Methodist church in Auburndale, its colored glass steeple landed in the trees.

"It's lucky it didn't do any damage to the roof when it fell off," said Joel Harshberger, the church trustee chairman. "The steeple cost about $20,000. I don't know if it can be repaired or has to be totally replaced, but that is a lot of money."

The Lena Vista Methodist Church in Auburndale also lost its steeple in the hurricane, as did the First Baptist Church in Lake Wales.