“Zinc for Their Roofing, Plywood”: A Jamaican-Born Florida Megachurch Pastor Stages a Concert to Rebuild Homes

• Bishop Henry Fernandez’s Florida church hosted a One Love Jamaica Rebuild concert
• Proceeds were for zinc, plywood and supplies for damaged homes
• The focus was neighbourhoods in St Elizabeth, Trelawny and Westmoreland
• He wanted “visible results” rather than money lost in a big organisation

A Jamaican-born pastor who leads a congregation of more than 10,000 in Florida turned his church into a concert hall to raise money to put roofs back on homes damaged by Hurricane Melissa. The Gleaner reported that Bishop Henry B. Fernandez of The Faith Center Ministries in Sunrise, Florida, would host the One Love Jamaica Rebuild concert on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

Bishop Fernandez, an ordained minister for 34 years, works through his humanitarian organisation, Dare to Care. “At Dare to Care, we feel that a part of our mission is to make sure [that] wherever disaster hits, we [are] there to help people restore their lives and to have some sense of self-worth,” he said.

He was specific about where the money would go. “We will identify certain neighbourhoods in St Elizabeth, Trelawny, and [Westmoreland] that are on the verge of rebuilding their homes and provide zinc for their roofing, plywood, and certain things to assist in bringing their lives back to some normalcy,” he said. He wanted donors to see the outcome: “We really want the resources to get to the people so that we can have some visible results.” Papa San, Minister Marion Hall and Kevin Downswell were among the artists donating their time, with all proceeds going to relief.

Asked what the cause meant to him as a Caribbean leader and a man of faith, Bishop Fernandez said he was humbled. “First of all, I’m a proud Jamaican, and I’m very humbled that I have a great level of influence,” he said. “Everyone is coming together to show Jamaica that we love them and not to worry about a thing because everything is going to be all right.”

Diaspora churches are among the few institutions that can gather thousands of Jamaicans in one room and turn goodwill into building materials. Targeting families who are already rebuilding, and supplying the zinc and plywood they need, is a practical model. For donors, the emphasis on visible, traceable results is a sensible test for any appeal: know which communities will be helped, what will be bought, and who on the ground will make sure it reaches the right roofs.

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