Major Repairs Complete At Lighthouse Christian Church

are complete after a drunk driver allegedly struck the front of the building.

“It’s all finished,” Pastor Gloria Kuipers said. “(Brower Construction) did a great job in a timely fashion. We’re very pleased.”

The entrance of the church  after 21-year-old Lanoka Harbor resident Randy Rozell’s vehicle left the roadway, became airborne and collided with the building on Friday, April 27.

Rozell, who was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for head injuries, was charged with DWI and other motor vehicle-related offenses. Rozell was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, May 1, said hospital spokesperson Maureen Gillespie.

Rozell’s passenger, 22-year-old Robert Plaschke of Forked River, also suffered head injuries and was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Gillespie did not have information on Plashke.

As a result of the collision, repairs will amount to approximately $40,000. The steeple in the front of the church, the foyer and bathrooms underneath the foyer needed to be entirely rebuilt, Pastor Jim Kuipers previously said.

“The church was knocked off its foundation 10 inches,” Bill Brower of Brower Construction previously said. “We had to lift it up and move it over to the foundation and anchor it.”

As far as Gloria Kuipers knows, insurance is covering the entire cost, she said. The builder completed the final bill.

“We don’t foresee any problems,” she said.

Through the experience, the church has seen favor with the insurance company, builder and town, Kuipers said.

“(The parish) saw God at work,” she said. “God is working at Lighthouse.”

Minor repairs still have to be made to the landscaping and fence.