Blown Away by the Goodness of God in the Aftermath of Hurricane Ian

Story by Kathy Symborski
Photos by Jason Vallejo unless otherwise indicated

“It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen—the sheer power of the wind was unbelievable, breathtaking. It was like a scene from The Wizard of Oz, with things flying by midair. A shed blew apart and was spinning sideways six feet off the ground. It was like being in a tornado for six to seven hours,” recalled Pastor Aaron Smith of The Rock Calvary Chapel (TRCC) in Punta Gorda, FL.

High winds produced by Hurricane Ian ripped many homes and buildings into pieces. The Punta Gorda Airport, pictured here, sustained damage to hangars and destroyed airplanes. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

With a plan in place, Aaron’s background in firefighting and disaster preparedness gave him confidence they would weather Hurricane Ian last week. What blew him away, however, was the outpouring of support from the Calvary Chapel family all over the U.S. 

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 

St. Petersburg, FL, residents pick up sandbags in anticipation of Hurricane Ian, which deviated course and made its destructive landfall farther south in Punta Gorda. Photo by Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP

Aaron remembers getting calls from [Calvary Chapel] pastors before the storm began—and even during. “I was in the eye of the hurricane. The wind stopped, birds were flying around, and I had cell service. I got a call from a Calvary Chapel pastor asking how I was, what needs did I have, how can they get to me. I got calls from Calvary Chapels I’d never heard of, from California to Florida, checking on us and finding out how to help.” 

Because Ian was expected to hit farther north of Punta Gorda, Aaron had called Calvary Chapel pastors in St. Petersburg to let them know that once the storm passed, he and his team would be coming to them with their disaster relief trailer to help. “Turns out we didn’t need to go anywhere,” he chuckled.

Calvary Chapel Fellowship of St. Petersburg filled their trailer in less than two hours Sunday, October 2, before volunteers headed down to Punta Gorda to assist in relief work.

They Came to Us
Overwhelming support throughout the Calvary Chapel network—from Calvary Disaster Relief (CDR) of La Habra, CA, After the Storm 4 Christ, Calvary Chapel Vero Beach, FL, and Calvary Chapel Fellowship of St. Petersburg, FL—began arriving last weekend to TRCC, some with trailers loaded with supplies, others in vans filled with volunteers eager to help where they were needed.

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men. Psalm 31:19

Donations such as generators, gas and gas cans, water, and trash bags are vital supplies needed to support the ongoing disaster response efforts.

CC Fellowship of St. Petersburg parked a trailer outside their church Sunday; during morning service, Pastor Danny Hodges announced a list of needed items. “We told our church that if they wanted to go get some of the things on the list and bring it back, we would pack the trailer. Our service ended around 12:30 p.m., and that trailer was packed full by 2 p.m. I was so blessed by that,” Danny marveled.

Jason Vallejo with CDR arrived Saturday evening to make a full assessment of the damages to The Rock and help coordinate their relief efforts. Although there was water damage in the main sanctuary and some of the roof was lost, this was temporarily repaired and cleaned up in time for Sunday services. The children’s ministry building is likely a complete loss. Electricity remains out, but generators are currently supplying power; and while they do have water, they are on a boil notice for safety.

A team from Calvary Disaster Relief made assessments of damage to The Rock CC, bringing items essential for repairs.

Armed with disaster relief experience, Pastor Aaron immediately developed a plan which organized the response to widespread needs.

Organization is Key
“Our organization system is what I am very excited about,” remarked Aaron. “I have four pastors on staff, each assigned a role. As jobs come in, each is assigned a color: black for issues we can’t do anything about but will go on the list, like replacing an entire roof; red for priorities such as tarping leaking roofs; and yellow for those things that can wait but we will get to soon, like a fallen tree in the yard that needs to be cut up.”

Three showers were built on site at The Rock CC for team members to use during their stay. Relief efforts are expected to last for months.

Doors are added to the outdoor showers for privacy. Although the community is under a boil water notice, “people are pretty excited to be able to take showers,” Aaron noted.

Supplies are neatly organized in storage areas at The Rock CC and distributed to teams assigned to jobs. “People are so overwhelmed by the damage, when a crew shows up to help and doesn’t charge them, it is such a blessing,” said Aaron.

The focus of relief efforts was aimed at the church and its members first, then extending to the community. “That is already happening—supernaturally happening,” noted Danny. “The reports I am getting is that a team will be in a church member’s house and they will say, ‘Hey, my neighbor needs this …’, so we have people helping neighbors right then.”

Pastor Aaron (center) encourages a group of volunteers before they set out on their assignments. Nearly 50 people arrived Monday morning ready to work.

Volunteers to the Rescue
Almost 50 volunteers showed up Monday morning. Jason reported, “Some teams stayed at the church to organize the resources, another crew built three showers for teams to use, and many went out to share [the Gospel] and pray for people.” Mercy Chefs, stationed at Ft. Myers, FL, has been distributing meals, and a team from The Rock will head down to pick up 200 prepared meals to “distribute to those people in need of a hot meal,” he added. 

For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. Isaiah 25:4a 

Mercy Chefs, stationed in badly damaged Ft. Myers, cooks and distributes over 22,000 meals a day. A team from The Rock CC drove down to pick up 200 hot meals to distribute to those in need.

With enough food to feed all the volunteers, extra food was bagged and distributed to those in the Punta Gorda community.

The abundant food donations led a CC Fellowship of St. Petersburg church member to organize the overflow into grocery bags for those in the neighborhood. “We had more than enough to feed the teams. There was so much food here, the bags just filled the floor of the room,” Danny said in amazement. 

TRCC has committed to feeding volunteers and the community in conjunction with After the Storm 4 Christ, a mobile disaster relief organization affiliated with Calvary Chapels, which has set up a food trailer in the parking lot. “Anyone in need can come. As long as we have food, we will be serving,” Aaron announced. 

Creative housing is a must as hotels in the area are not available. Aaron has been able to house a team of ten in the church itself and another team in a house on the church campus. Tents have been set up on church grounds for CC Fellowship of St. Petersburg’s School of Ministry team, a one-year discipleship program for adults ages 18-25. Danny’s son, Jairus Hodges, is the campus pastor for the program; he and most of the staff, along with all six students and four interns, are all in Punta Gorda doing hands-on ministry. 

Tents provide ‘creative’ shelter for the School of Ministry team from Calvary Chapel Fellowship of St. Petersburg during their three-day stay.

Next Steps
Aaron is already planning for what lies ahead, knowing the rebuilding efforts will be long-term. “Services are starting to come online, but we don’t know when power will be established. They may even have to rebuild the whole power grid from ground zero,” he noted. Calvary Chapel teams have committed their support for as long as needed. Ongoing donations of tools, generators, gasoline, food, water, and building supplies will be needed to support their relief efforts—but prayers that the Good News of Jesus Christ would reach the community is of utmost importance. 

Aaron, Neil Livingston,TRCC pastor and worship leader, and Neil’s daughter check in on folks in the neighborhood, distributing food and praying with them. In his Sunday sermon from Luke 10:25-37 entitled “How to Love Your Neighbor”, Aaron exhorted his congregation, “This is an opportunity to make sacrifices and use our resources to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

“This is the best ministry opportunity we have ever had, bringing us into contact with those who would not darken the door of a church,” Aaron exclaimed. “We get to minister to the physical needs to get to the spiritual needs. And the support from our Calvary Chapel family has been overwhelming and wonderful!”

To contribute to the ongoing relief at TRCC, please go to TheRockCalvaryChapel.org where you will see a “Donate Funds to Hurricane Relief Effort” link. If you would like to send a team, contact The Rock secretary Tammy Hole at 941.914.8229. 

If you would like to support CDR in their various nationwide relief efforts or volunteer, go to calvarydisasterrelief.org. Donations, designated for missions/relief work, can also be mailed to CC La Habra, 1370 Euclid St., La Habra, CA 90631.

Any Calvary Chapels in need of help are urged to contact Calvary Disaster Relief

 

All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

© 2022 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.