14 Oct The Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew

Matt McKeown (right), a pastor at First UB church in Holly Hill, Fla., sent a report about Hurricane Matthew and its aftermath. This came on Friday afternoon, October 14.

The church property—various buildings, thrift store, recording studio—suffered $40,000 – $50,000 worth of damage. “Several parts of our church roof will need to be repaired or replaced, as we’ve got about 30 leaks in it right now.”

Tree removal was be a major expense. “Hurricane insurance does not cover the removal of downed trees. We’ve got a dozen or so of those. Removal of one tree can be up to $2000, especially these big Southern yellow pines that are 100 feet tall.

“We just bought a building to expand our recording studio, and one of the selling points was the big lighted sign at the roadside. It was destroyed by the hurricane, and it is not covered by insurance….

“It’s a bit of a racket, honestly. The premiums are so large for hurricane insurance that most people can’t even afford to have wind damage insurance on their buildings. Plus, if the wind blows the roof off of your building, and the rain destroys your property, your hurricane insurance does not cover the damage from the rain because you lost your roof. It only covers the replacement of your roof. But even then, the deductibles are so high there’s no point in making a claim.

“I can also tell you that most all of our congregation was without power for almost a week. One couple in our church had a giant oak tree fall directly in the middle of their house, splitting it in two.”

On October 7, as the storm moved on, Matt posted on Facebook, “All in all we fared very well, and if not for the last minute turn of the storm to the east, we would be in many feet of water now and much more wind damage.”

Gary Vanderveen, pastor of Faith UB church in nearby Port Orange, Fla., reports that they came through the hurricane very well, with only minor cleanup needed.

The Pastors and Spouses Summit for churches with 300+ attendance is scheduled for October 24-27 in Daytona Beach. The location had to be moved because of damage to the original hotel. However, everything is working out. They’ll be able to meet at an even nicer hotel which is closer to First UB church. Pastor Chuck and Vicki McKeown of First UB are among the persons who will attend this event.

If you would like to help First UB church, please contact Matt McKeown by email, or send donations to:

First UB Church (Daytona)
560 Flomich Street
Holly Hill, FL 32117

11 Oct US and Macau Church Share Communion Together

Jim Bolich, senior pastor, Prince Street UB church (Shippensburg, Pa.)

Prince Street Church and Living Stone Church in Macau practiced unity amidst diversity by participating in Holy Communion together on October 2, bridging the distance with live streaming for World Communion Sunday.

In November 2015, I participated in a Global Ministries trip to Macau, where a friendship with Jennifer Blandin and Living Stone Church quickly formed. Since then, friendship has grown into collaboration, paving the way for the congregations to come together around the Lord’s Table. Portions of the service were held in Cantonese, Portuguese, and English.

06 Oct First UB in Florida Prepares for Hurricane Matthew

The eye of Hurricane Matthew is expected to be over Holly Hill, Fla., on Friday. We have a church there, First United Brethren Church, located not far from the Atlantic Ocean. On Thursday morning, Pastor Matt McKeown (right) was asked about what they are doing as the hurricane approaches. Matt’s father, Chuck, and brother, Josh, are also on staff at the church. Here is Matt’s response.

We are not leaving. We don’t feel we have the right or privilege to do so. We as pastors and as a ministry family need to be here to help when the storm goes through. We are keenly aware that we could lose everything and we are reminded of Job: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I’ve not been a part of a storm this powerful hitting us this directly. The closest thing to it in my experience was in 2004 when three named storms hit us back to back beginning with Hurricane Charlie. People were without power for a couple weeks.

The damage will be big, to people’s property and spirits. Tensions and tempers will run high. Supplies are already low, and October is still too early in Florida to be without air conditioning. Who knows but the Mighty One of Israel how bad it will be. We will be there for the hurting and the hungry, and we will rebuild what is damaged. We will adjust. We will survive. God’s people always do.

Some of us have been gathering to study and pray the prayers in the siddur (the Jewish prayer book) in the mornings as men, and it was pointed out that we pray “You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall” every day. This great power coming toward us is nothing compared to the power of our God. Neither is it anything that cannot be stilled by the words of our Savior.

God created these powerful systems. He is great and mighty to save. The same power that can cause the winds to blow is the same power that will strengthen us as we pick up the pieces. It is times like this when we have the opportunity to make our actions match our faith. May we and all believers be Christ to the ones in need of help in our areas as this storm does whatever it will do. Pray that we will be a light in the coming darkness.

We also have a church in Port Orange, not far to the south and also on the coast. The pastor of Faith UB church is Gary Vanderveen.

Please keep pastors Chuck, Matt, Josh, and Gary in your prayers–not only as the hurricane hits Thursday night and Friday, but for many days afterwards as they pick up the pieces and minister to people in need.