BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Members of a Birmingham church destroyed by a powerful tornado last April have dedicated their new sanctuary.

Pleasant Grove Assembly of God held a special service Sunday that  included honoring some of the workers who helped turn a 10,000-square-foot retail building that once held a pharmacy, a gun shop and a lube center into their house of worship.

The Birmingham News reported that the church's senior pastor, Lamar Jacks, saw a divine lesson in the nine months since the destruction.

Jacks had planned a church service the night the tornado struck but he cancelled it because of early weather warnings. The old sanctuary was lost; no church members were killed.