Reverend Mark Benedict was relieved when the repairs and renovation to Peace River Wesleyan Church, Port Charlotte, Florida, had finished up following the damages to their building in September 2024 from Hurricane Helene. They had just completed repainting and installing new carpet when Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9, 2024. The flooding was severe — damaging the buildings, their contents and ruining furniture — leaving the Benedicts without a home and the congregation with no place to meet.
The Benedicts’ discouragement was overwhelming as they faced the massive, needed repairs. Despite the obstacle of the restoration efforts, there came a moment when suddenly the Benedicts remembered whom they served. Rev. Benedict reminisced, “I found myself praying, God, I need this, I need that. And I forgot who was listening. God.”
In conjunction with the Florida District leadership, teams began to come, helping clean up and begin rebuilding efforts on the church and parsonage. On the first day nearly 100 people showed up to gut the church. Every weekend since, there have been between five and 20 people arriving and doing necessary repairs. Funds came in through the district and from across The Wesleyan Church to assist Peace River.
Rev. Benedict is grateful for the support: “Churches from all over, from people I have never met, have sent money to us. We are surrounded by help, but the biggest thing the district has done for us has been prayer and encouragement.”
In the process, mold was removed from the buildings, new walls and roofs were installed, new paint applied, new carpet laid, new furniture moved in and even a new lawnmower was provided for the ongoing property maintenance. Many of the materials were able to be acquired at a discounted rate. Rev. Benedict’s faith grew throughout the process: “Even in the midst of the storm, at the worst time, if you slow down and be still, you will see God here.” At the time of writing, both buildings are nearly complete!
The congregation changed throughout the process also. In Rev. Benedict’s perspective, “We grew closer to Christ and our faith grew though this.” Despite the facility damage, the church never ceased to meet, rotating between people’s homes for weekly worship. Prior to the hurricanes, Rev. Benedict describes himself and the congregation as being somewhat laid back, whereas now they are fully committed, bought-in and passionate about making a difference. Rev. Benedict knows that “God is still on our side, and he is asking us to really receive the fullness of who he is.”
All that the Benedicts and Peace River received to restore their building has not been kept solely for themselves. They have turned around to help their community as they recover. Rev. Benedict firmly believes “We want to give what God is giving us.”
In the immediacy of the storm aftermath, Peace River partnered with another local church to pass out food and supplies. The church assisted a single mom navigating the recovery process. The congregation committed to partner financially with a ministry that helps to combat sex trafficking. They also helped a man acquire building materials to rebuild his home.
Another man needed community service hours. Rev. Benedict provided many opportunities for his requirements to be met. While the man did work for the church, the church invested in him, helping him turn his life around, and now his whole family has begun to attend the church as well!
Rev. Benedict acknowledged that their church is not large, but the people are generous: “We give what we have.”
The Benedicts and their leadership have earned the admiration of Florida District Superintendent Derek Atkinson: “They have done such a great job of just rolling with this. The church has come together, and they have experienced some great support from churches in their area, which says a lot about the relationships they have formed.”
Rev. Benedict anticipates the possibilities of the future: “Because God has allowed us to stay together as a church, we are eager to start serving.” He recognizes that, “This whole scenario has lit a fire … the Spirit is waking them. This storm woke us up, and we want to get out and minister to people.” Rev. Benedict sees how the congregation is praying with their co-workers and inviting others to church. In addition to continuing to serve their community in tangible ways, they are going to start some Bible studies.
Rev. Benedict’s outlook upon the future is bright: “I have more hope now than I did three months ago.”
Rev. Jacob Gibson is the senior pastor at LifeSpring Wesleyan Church, Richmond, Indiana, and graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and Wesley Seminary, Marion, Indiana.