The One Thing Irma Couldn’t Destroy

When we found out Hurricane Irma was heading towards Central Florida, we contacted Seminole County right away to let them know that our church was all hands on deck and we were ready to serve wherever we are needed. When the county started calling us with so many requests from people in the community who needed help, we knew we had to get our teams together and be ready to work fast.

In the aftermath, our faith stands firm, and we want to share it with others through service.

We’ve initiated Seminole County Serve Day for Saturday, Sept. 16. If there is still need for help after this Saturday, we are committed to serving wherever we are needed.

We believe that we’re “Better Together,” and we grow best when we are in community. The fact is our community is hurting, and our mission is to bring God’s love to the city. I can’t think of a better way to show the love of Jesus than to partner with other local churches and provide as many helping hands as possible serve anyone who needs help.

We are prepared to have hundreds of volunteers equipped with chain/pole saws, gloves, lawn bags, safety glasses, rakes and drills to go out and help anyone in the community in need. The four primary needs we are focusing on are tree removal, tarping, debris pickup, and food and water. Whether it’s the elderly man who can’t remove his boards from his windows, or the single mom who doesn’t know how to fix the leak in her roof, or the hundreds of families spending hours outside picking up the leftover debris from the storm, we are committed to assist wherever we are needed.

We will be sending teams to serve throughout Seminole County, and we are partnering with about 11 agencies combined of local churches, nonprofit organizations, and civic and community leaders.

It’s incredible to see our community brought together since the storm. There are so many people who are eager to help, and many who are thankful for the help they’ve already received. We look forward to meeting more people and continuing to assist those asking for help.

We have been promoting via social media and have also sent out Serve Day information via email to our church community. We are partnering alongside other local churches who are spreading the word among their congregations as well.

In addition to the physical labor, we have various members of our church prepared to minister to people, to listen and pray with people as the need arises, and to point them towards their churches for further spiritual help and guidance.

Thank you to every person who has volunteered their time to help others. We could not do this without you! We believe everyone is called to make a difference, and your giving and serving is making a difference in our community, so we say thank you!

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Eugene Smith is the senior pastor at City Church in Sanford, Florida. Miranda Quiqley is the worship coordinator.