MONETA, Va. – A tent collapsed during Eastlake Community Church’s 20th anniversary celebration, killing a longtime member of the congregation. A day later, the tent remained on the ground as community members shifted their focus to remembering the man who lost his life.
Eyewitness describes moment tent collapsed
Witnesses say the man who died was Bob Stouffer, a longtime member of the church community. Jeff Keaton, brother of Eastlake Community Church’s pastor, was at the event when the tent came down. Though he does not represent the church, Keaton agreed to share his experience through a social media post.
“I looked up and it was probably one hundred feet in the air and somehow it blew over all those people in there,” Keaton said.
Keaton described the moment as one he will never forget, saying a powerful gust of wind lifted the tent without warning.
“My brother jumped up on the platform to say to everybody, ‘Go to your cars.’ He couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. And the most powerful gust of wind I’ve ever been a part of picked that tent up,” Keaton said.
Community mourns loss of beloved member
Keaton reflected on the loss of the man killed in the collapse, remembering him as a pillar of the church community.
“It is a tragedy that we lost one dear, dear brother, amazing man of God. And my heart goes out to Bob Stouffer’s family,” he said.
A day after the collapse, workers could be seen taking down the remaining tent structure.
Local leaders offer support
Virginia Delegate Eric Zehr, who represents Bedford County, said the focus right now is on supporting those affected.
“I’ve gotten to make a lot of friends at this community church. I know the church is in very capable hands with Pastor Troy. If there’s anybody you hate to see this happen to, it’s that church,” Zehr said.
“Again, a very loving community, and I look forward to continuing with them as they rebuild and try to put their lives back together after this. It does a lot of good to know that our hearts are with them, that our prayers are with them. And at this point, that is the main thing we can do is to continue to pray, continue to show support, and just sort of wrap our emotional hands around them,” he said.
Church announces service of hope, healing
Eastlake Community Church announced it will hold a Service of Hope and Healing Sunday, June 14, at 10 a.m. at its Smith Mountain Lake and Roanoke campuses. A concert originally planned for Sunday night has been canceled.