Topeka ? Members of a Topeka congregation were cheered Wednesday night after hearing their youth pastor was among American missionaries released from custody in Haiti, but they remained apprehensive about his trip home and what awaits him afterward.

Drew Culberth, a 35-year-old Topeka firefighter, was among eight missionaries freed by a judge after nearly three weeks in jail, charged with kidnapping for trying to take children from Haiti after the devastating earthquake there. Culberth has been youth pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in north Topeka since 2004, and members of the congregation rallied behind him.

The church had its weekly youth programs Wednesday night for dozens of youngsters age 3 through high school. As toddlers worked with green clay and sang songs on the main floor, some older children played games in the basement.

“Is this really over once he’s home?” said Veronica Culberson, a church member and mother of four who works in the church’s youth program. “That’s what I think the apprehension is. We’ll just be happy to have him home.”

U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., whose district includes Topeka, said Culberth would be on a flight Wednesday night to Miami. “We will all breathe easier when Drew is back home safely in Topeka,” Jenkins said.

Church members said they never doubted Culberth’s motives or his innocence. But a few acknowledged being skeptical when they heard he would be coming home.

“I’ve been praying a lot for him and just hoping to have him back, because nothing’s the same without him,” said Emily Phillips, a 16-year-old church member.

Phillips can’t wait for a reunion.

“Oh, goodness, I’m going to cry so hard,” she said. “I want to tackle him, but I know that probably won’t be the best response.”

Earlier in the day, Culberth’s wife answered the door of their Topeka home wearing a black-and-white T-shirt with his photo that said, “Free Drew.” But she declined to comment, referring questions to Caleb Stegall, Jefferson County’s prosecutor, who is also a Perry attorney representing the family.

Later, church members still were trying to glean details about Culberth’s return from news reports and Facebook postings.

The church posted a message on its Web site: “Even as we are praying for Pastor Drew, we have total confidence that God is willing and able to help him.”

The church’s pastor, the Rev. James Keller, said Culberth may need some time with his family once he returns.

“We told our people to not ask any unnecessary questions, give him some time to get his feet on the ground,” Keller said.

The missionaries, most from Baptist churches in Idaho, have been accused of trying to take 33 Haitian children to the Dominican Republic last month without proper documents. The missionaries have said they were on a humanitarian mission to rescue child quake victims by taking them to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, denying the accusations of trafficking.