Mrs. Mary Belin, 94 of Port St Joe. FL, is celebrating her home restoration after Hurricane Michael severely damaged the residence. She started working at age 14 so she could put herself through school and moved into this house after her honeymoon and has lived in the same place for the last 71 years!
When Mrs. Belin and her daughter first saw the house after Hurricane Michael, they thought it would be easier to throw a stick of dynamite in the middle of it than repair the home. They cried tears of joy in her living room when they saw the house for the first time after the repairs were completed. Belin’s fellow members of FUMC Port St. Joe were instrumental in completing the home repairs.
Dr. Geoffrey Lentz, senior pastor at FUMC Port St. Joe, celebrated with her and prayed over this restored space. “Every church member and resident of Port St. Joe has been deeply impacted by Hurricane Michael,” said Dr. Lentz. “The greatest way we can minister to our members and community is to walk alongside them while they restore their lives and rebuild their homes. We continue to process the pain, grief, and loss while looking ahead to better days in our community. I am so grateful to be a part of a church that is such an integral part of the future of Port St. Joe.”
FUMC Port St. Joe continues to assess their church needs as they plan for their own rebuilding process after their sanctuary was destroyed on October 10, 2018, in the category five storm. Their worship services are held in the Great Hall, which is a newly constructed worship area that survived the winds and storm surge.
The Alabama-West Florida Conference is still encouraging each church to send teams to the panhandle area and teams from outside the area are welcome. More information can be found at
www.hurricanemichaelrecovery.org.
