Sunday's storm raised the roof of this Tucson church

Just one month after Covenant Generations Church paid off its mortgage, Sunday’s monsoon ripped the roof from the building.

Pastors Scotty and Jamie Gurulé said the microburst that ravaged their Tucson Boulevard church destroyed more than half of the roof and all of the church’s lighting, sound and audiovisual equipment. Pieces of the roof were found blocks away.

Jamie Gurulé was about 15 minutes away from the church Sunday night when a church member called with the news. Because of the storm, it took her almost an hour to get there.

Neighbors told the couple “it sounded like a bomb went off” when the storm hit the church, she added.

The whole roof will have to go and the soaked carpets will likely be pulled out. Before the storm, there were two offices attached at the back of the sanctuary. Now only one is usable.

Insurance should cover most of the damage, and the cost of repairs is still unknown, Gurulé said. Early contractors on site had estimates veering as high as $500,000.

“But we really don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think it will be that much, but we lost tens of thousands of dollars of personal property.”

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On Monday, about 250 gallons of water were removed from the floor vents. Water also damaged chairs, the ceiling, insulation — basically the whole sanctuary.

The Gurulés started the Tucson church in 2002 after 20 years as youth pastors. The church has grown from 12 people to about 500 a week.

Covenant Generations moved into its current building at 2550 N. Tucson Blvd. seven years ago and just began celebrating its debt-free status.

“We just spent seven years really building up slowly,” Gurulé said. “We had all of our lighting and AV right where we wanted it to be.”

A large air-conditioned tent will go up on the property so Wednesday and Sunday services can continue while the building is repaired. The section of the church housing a cafe and children’s area remained untouched.

Neighbors and other Tucson churches have offered to help.

“It was heartbreaking,” Gurulé said. “But you have to look at it and say, ‘Thank God we have insurance.’”