“Reduced Tithes and Offerings”: 56 Hanover Churches Share $8.49 Million After Melissa

• 56 Hanover churches received $8.49 million in hurricane recovery grants in June 2026
• Damage ranged from minor to complete destruction
• A deputy mayor said congregations and giving had fallen
• The wider $75 million programme targets 420 churches in five parishes

Hanover’s churches got their share of the government’s hurricane clean-up money in June 2026. The Observer reported that $8.49 million was distributed to 56 churches in the parish, whose buildings suffered damage ranging from minor to complete destruction, including lost roofs and severe structural damage.

The payout is part of a $75 million initiative for 420 churches across St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, Trelawny and Hanover. St Elizabeth received the first tranche in April, when $17.6 million went to 101 churches.

The recipients described congregations under financial strain. “Churches are having low congregation levels…and reduced tithes and offerings,” said Deputy Mayor Andria Dehaney-Grant. Reverend Sheldon Ashman, supervisor of the Mount Moriah Circuit, said “the churches are usually places where the community benefits” beyond worship.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie recalled the historic role of church buildings in public life: “Our churches were the place where local government used to operate from,” he said. MP Andrea Purkiss added: “Our communities right now need the church, based on where our youth’s minds are.”

The numbers are modest. $8.49 million across 56 churches averages roughly $150,000 each, which may clear debris or fix part of a roof but will not rebuild a destroyed sanctuary. With falling attendance and weaker giving, many rural congregations will struggle to fund the rest themselves.

That makes Hanover a clear case for diaspora support. For Hanover families living overseas, a coordinated effort to help specific churches rebuild — with approved plans and transparent accounts — could close the gap that public grants leave.

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