Home
Covenant Churches in Florida Report Significant Damage
OVIEDO, FL (October 28, 2005) - Hurricane Wilma caused major roof and tree
damage to all of the Evangelical Covenant churches in the Southeast
Conference from North Miami to Vero Beach, says Supt. Kurt Miericke.
The hurricane tore off the steeple and ripped a hole in the roof of
Royal Palm Covenant Church in Royal Palm Beach, Miericke says. The
church had recently finished rebuilding from hurricanes that ravaged the
area last fall. Many of the homes of people in the congregation suffered
damage as well.
Miericke says he has not heard yet from Bethany Covenant in North Miami.
"They were right in the middle of it, so I expect some damage."
Dave Anderson, pastor of Lighthouse Covenant Church in Tamarac was
trapped in his house for two days because of fallen trees, says
Miericke. The church will need a new roof, and its tower was damaged.
Faith Christian Center in Miami will need a new roof, and a tree fell on
another of the church's buildings, causing significant damage.
First Covenant Church in Vero Beach sustained "minor water damage"
Miericke says.
The church was hit twice in the last year by hurricanes. Earlier this
month, the congregation rededicated the building following
reconstruction that included teams of workers from Covenant churches
across the country.
Ironically, Key Largo Covenant Church in Key Largo was unharmed, says
Miericke. The Keys were expected to be hit the hardest and residents
were the first to be issued a mandatory evacuation order, although as
many as 90 percent stayed.
None of the churches have power and may not have power for some time,
Miericke says, noting that some six million people also are without
electricity.
Power was restored Thursday evening to Covenant Village of Florida in
Plantation, says Moraine Byrne, vice president for the facility operated
by Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC). No residents needed to be
moved and no one was injured.
The campus has continued to receive food and medications, says Joe
Haughney, CRC vice president of operations. "The next step is to assess
all the damage and remove all the trees," says Byrne. All of the trees
were either uprooted or damaged.
Other Covenant churches situated in the Gulf Coast appear to have
escaped damage, Miericke says, but did have some frightening moments.
Miericke relayed a report by pastor Dave Johnson, of the Bay Indies
Covenant Church in Venice: "Sunday morning, 15 minutes before church was
ready to begin, a police officer walked into the Bay House and announced
that Sarasota County had just ordered all mobile home parks evacuated.
We decided to go ahead with an abbreviated service. As people were
leaving, the comment I heard again and again was, 'I'm sure glad we had
a service this morning - I really needed it.' "
The Southeast Conference region has experienced 10 hurricanes, including
Katrina and Rita, during the last 15 months. "I'm tired of this," says
Miericke. "I'm really tired of this."
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
Share this page on facebook
