As many as 43 weather-related deaths occurred the week of Christmas, according to CNN, as storms swept the central and southern U.S.

On Saturday, the Ovilla Road Church of the Nazarene in Red Oak, Texas, was destroyed by a tornado. The parsonage was also damaged.

WFAA News reported Ovilla Road pastor Ron Adams was at the Mavericks basketball game in Dallas when the tornado struck the church sanctuary. Adams said he came to the church and immediately began cleanup efforts with church members.

"We were trying to get as much of the valuable stuff … into cover so it wasn’t in the elements," Adams told WFAA. "We got to the point where we just want everybody to get out of there. Nobody’s gotten hurt so far and we don’t want that to change."

Prayer is requested for Pastor Ron and Cheryl Adams and their congregation as they minister to their members and neighbors affected by the storms.

For information on providing assistance, contact the USA/Canada Region's disaster response coordinators at ndr@nazarene.org or 800-306-9950. See WFAA's website for more photos and video of the Red Oak tornado damage.

That same evening near Dallas, Nazarene missionaries George and Nancy Miller were taking cover from a tornado hitting their daughter's home.

"Pray for our family," they wrote. "We were [celebrating] the Christmas season with our daughter Gloria when about 8 p.m. [Saturday] a tornado came and tore off the roof and half of the upstairs of their home.

"It is so awesome being part of a church family as her pastor and others came and helped last night and friends from church were away for the holidays but opened their home for us to take shelter for the night."

The Millers, who have served as Nazarene missionaries since 1989 in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and most recently the Philippines, said everyone in their party was safe as they took shelter in a closet.

"The vehicles outside were damaged and one of them totaled," they said.

Related: "Members of tornado-damaged church welcomed to nearby Sunday service"