“Rebuilding a Church Is Like Rebuilding a Nation”: A St Maarten Congregation Goes Home 21 Months After Irma

• Hurricane Irma destroyed Ephesus Adventist Church on 4 September 2017
• Members pitched a tent on the church property rather than move away
• The refurbished building was rededicated 21 months later
• Volunteer labour and community support helped the rebuild

A St Maarten congregation has returned to its church building nearly two years after Hurricane Irma destroyed it, Inter-American Division News reported in June 2019.

Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church was destroyed when the Category 5 hurricane struck on 4 September 2017. Rather than move elsewhere, members worshipped in a tent on the church grounds while the building was rebuilt. The refurbished church, with new chairs, was rededicated 21 months after the storm. The article credited volunteer labour and community support but did not give the cost or say how it was funded.

“We all know what happened here two years ago and rebuilding a church is like rebuilding a nation,” said Pastor Desmond James. Pastor Kumal Smith explained the congregation’s decision to stay put: “There is no place like home so we decided to pitch the tent right on the grounds of the Ephesus church property.”

Dr Kern Tobias, president of the Caribbean Union Conference, said: “This rededication brings glory and honor to God for His goodness to us all.”

Staying on the property had practical as well as spiritual value. It kept the congregation together, showed the community that the church was not leaving, and kept watch over the site and materials during reconstruction.

Jamaican congregations whose buildings are damaged can learn from this. Worshipping on site, even under a tent, protects the land and keeps members connected while repairs are planned. It also helps to have documents, title and insurance papers stored safely away from the building, so the rebuild is not held up by missing records.

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