Episcopal Press and News
Florida parishes in Hurricane Andrew's wake show signs of hope and renewal
Episcopal News Service. June 23, 1993 [93126]
The Rev. Andy Taylor, editor of The Net, newspaper in the diocese of Southeast Florida. This article is excerpted from the May-June issue of The Net.
Nine months after Hurricane Andrew slashed across Florida leaving thousands homeless and billions of dollars in damage, there is encouraging news from Episcopal churches in the areas of Florida that suffered the most.
Most major repairs have been made, congregations are reforming and rebuilding, financial giving has not dropped drastically, and the outlook of rectors is predominantly positive.
"There's no gloom and doom," said the Rev. Gary Verell of St. Faith's Church in Miami, echoing the sentiment of many rectors of the parishes in the hurricane zone. "We're recovering, the neighborhood is recovering."
The downside is hardly unexpected. Many church members are struggling through the trauma Andrew left, many people are hurting, some have relocated and left their parishes. In addition, negotiations with the Church Insurance Company and adjustors have delayed some of the major repair work. There is still a long way to go, but an informal survey of 11 churches in the Diocese of Southeast Florida proves that most are putting the hurricane behind and moving ahead.
For example, St. John's in Homestead which is located in one of the hardest-hit areas, suffered damages estimated at $810,000. Most repairs have been completed, including new roofs for the church, parish hall, school and office building, and many new windows and internal repairs to the parish hall and school. The rector and his family are back in their home after living in a mobile home during extensive repairs.
The number of people in church on Sundays at St. John's dropped by about 40 percent immediately after the storm, but is climbing back. The number of pledges dropped by nearly half, but total giving has remained nearly the same. "Fewer people are giving more," said the Rev. Terence Harris, rector of St. John's.
Sunday school attendance has been poor, but day school -- which was the first school in Homestead to reopen following the hurricane -- has 220 pupils compared with a pre-Andrew enrollment of 188.
"I'm encouraged by what the city is doing -- the way it is trying to make Homestead a better place than it has ever been," Harris said. "Homestead has some obstacles, but I'm very optimistic for the community and the parish."
At St. Matthew's in South Miami, property damage was $270,000 including roof repairs for the church, offices, parish hall and the school. Some 80 trees were lost.
The Rev. Raymond Reid, Jr., rector of St. Matthew's, estimated that the parish lost 10-14 percent of its congregation. The impact is still felt from people who are rebuilding their homes before selling and leaving. "To me, these are things that happen in life and when they do, you keep going," Reid said. "The hurricane is behind us, we've got to move ahead and not dwell on the past, and that's what we're doing."
Despite the losses at St. Matthew's, there are new faces in attendance at Sunday services, and the church hopes to increase membership by 10-15 percent in 1993.
At St. Thomas in South Miami, an estimated $700,000 damage to the church preceded a 10-15 percent drop in attendance following the hurricane. "In a parish which had been experiencing a steady growth over the last 10 years...that's one of our biggest emotional struggles," said the Rev. Roger Tobin, rector at St. Thomas.
"Numerically, financially, emotionally, it will be a long time before all the wounds are healed -- before we get back to where we were a year ago," Tobin added. "But I am convinced that the people who are hanging in will be stronger. I think we have learned what the true values are -- caring for one another and working together."