October 14, 2024
TAMPA, Fla. (BP) –“Everything utterly destroyed–furniture, seats, resources.” That’s how Pastor Rafael Sanchez described the newly renovated church building of Tampa’s Iglesia Bautista Bethel, flooded with more than two feet of water after Hurricane Milton unleashed its fury Oct. 9.
Immediately, church members, described by the pastor as an “army of redeemed men and women” who “put everything aside,” jumped into action, clearing furnishings and supplies out of the sanctuary, ripping out carpet, sweeping out all traces of water and muck, cleaning, dumping 15 truckloads of debris.
The backbreaking action was nothing new for many of these church members. Over the years, Sanchez has led his congregation on numerous mission trips to help other churches rebuild their facilities. Now, his church was the one that would have to rebuild.
Catching his breath after an intense two days, Sanchez said, “I just want to cry.” But not for the reason you might think. He didn’t want to cry because of the heartbreak of a church building devastated by flood waters. The pastor wanted to cry because the church “is so blessed.”
“We are so blessed that I want to cry.”
Blessing in partnership
Sanchez discovered his blessing in partnership. Amid the soggy mess, Sanchez discovered that, when a Florida Baptist congregation is facing an overwhelming challenge, it’s not doing so alone.
The pastor expressed thankfulness for the “support of so many Baptist pastors and leaders calling and praying,” including Stephen Rummage, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, who called to pray with the pastor and offer words of encouragement.
Even as church members were hauling church pews out of the building, setting them on the church lawn, Pastor Sanchez was making a phone call to nearby Calvary Espanol in Clearwater, pastored by Vlad Vasquez. Without hesitation Vasquez said he wanted his congregation to do what they could to help Iglesia Bautista Bethel. Emanuel Roque, Florida Baptists’ Hispanic multicultural catalyst, then helped coordinate the church-to-church partnership.
By Saturday afternoon the Clearwater church had delivered and helped unload and set up 240 chairs so the Tampa congregation could gather for Sunday worship.
Overcome with emotion, Sanchez expressed gratefulness for the “generosity of a sister congregation” and declared that in just two days, “We went from disaster to blessing, from the impossible to certainty, from hopelessness to joy and gratitude.”
In the storm’s chaotic aftermath, Sanchez turned his gaze from the temporal to the eternal, “Incomparable God, You are worthy of being feared, loved and adored in all times and circumstances.”
A little more than 72 hours after Hurricane Milton’s landfall, the Iglesia Bautista Bethel congregation gathered joyfully “to sing of the greatness of Christ.”
