Covenant News

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."

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