To say that St. John the Baptist parish in Tipton, Indiana has faced its fair share of adversity over the past 20 years would be an understatement. After lightning struck the church steeple in 2005, the ensuing fire destroyed the 114 year-old steeple and much of the choir loft. Then in 2015, two additional tragedies struck the 124 year-old church: large pieces of the exterior cement stucco cladding began falling off; and a large hewn timber roof truss shifted off its bearing pier, forcing the Diocese-of-Lafayette to condemn the building. Architects were engaged to investigate the feasibility and viability of the building’s future. Repairs were deemed cost prohibitive and in 2017 the church, which had occupied the site for nearly 130 years, was razed.

However, as is often the case in matters of faith, all hope was not lost. The parish decided to build a new church on the existing site and embarked upon a three-year fund-raising campaign. Although the parish consists of just over 200 families, the St. John community was able to raise more than $5.5 million. In 2020, Scholer Corporation began design initiatives for a new church.

Prior to the 2017 demolition, parish members and volunteers carefully removed and salvaged as many fixtures, furnishing and other significant items from the old church as possible, including the pipe organ, carved wood reredoses (altars), replacement steeple, bells, wood pews, Stations of the Cross and beautifully carved railings from the choir loft and sanctuary. Additionally, all of the stained glass windows were carefully removed and crated for full restoration. Each of the salvaged components was carefully woven into the design of the new church, ensuring the legacy and character of the old church was not lost or forgotten. Ultimately, despite multiple procurement and supply chain delays and construction that began amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the new church was completed and dedicated in November of 2022.