After two hurricanes hit their region only 15 days apart, members of Bradenton (Fla.) Christian Reformed Church are cleaning up and thanking God for his protection.
On Sept. 24, a 5- to 7-foot storm surge from Hurricane Helene flooded homes on Anna Maria Island (near Bradenton) and filled them with several feet of sand. A cleanup crew from the church was forced to leave their church member’s sand-filled house upon news of another approaching hurricane. On Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton ripped through with 110-mile-an-hour winds. Milton damaged most roofs and outdoor structures around Bradenton and left the area without power for several days.
“It’s wild out here,” said Dylan Kern, Bradenton CRC’s associate pastor, Oct. 11. “There are a lot of trees down. I spent the morning at our worship director’s house cleaning up the remains of their pool structure.”
CRC pastor Don Ridder owns a home in Sarasota, Fla., where Hurricane Milton made landfall, but the home was undamaged. “We are very grateful, since the storm basically went right overhead,” Ridder said. “A category five hurricane downgraded to a category three before landfall is God’s grace in action!” Ridder is serving as interim pastor at Silver Springs (Md.) CRC.
Days after the storm, the power was still out in Bradenton, so Bradenton CRC’s Sunday service took place outdoors Oct. 13. Worship songs included “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” and “Now Thank We All Our God,” holding a special meaning for churchgoers living through two storms that could have been so much worse.
After the service, they hosted a hamburger lunch for attendees and anyone else in the neighborhood. “Everybody could use a hot meal now,” said BJ Milgate, pastor of Bradenton CRC.
“There’s definitely a lot of answered prayer here,” said Kern. “Most people have to repair their roofs, but no one is without a home. Some people are dealing with flooding, though.”
The Bradenton and Tampa Bay area is known for being a place where storms don’t typically hit as badly, Kern said, so two hurricane strikes in just over two weeks is extremely unusual. Bradenton is a popular destination for Christian Reformed ‘snowbirds’—people who spend winter months in a warmer locale from northern spots like Michigan and Ontario.
Hurricane Helene caused the most damage in Asheville, N.C. World Renew is working with its partner, Mennonite Disaster Services, to provide assistance in Asheville. Christian Reformed congregations in that state, Higher Calling CRC in Smithfield and Terra Ceia CRC in Pantego, are closer to the coast and not in Appalachia where much of the devastation from the storm was concentrated.
About the Author
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.