The New Day Christian Church in Port Charlotte, Florida, was built to withstand hurricanes.  Its building is so strong the county government uses it as a special needs shelter to accommodate persons with medical and special needs in the event of a disaster.  When Hurricane Ian was churning toward the Florida Gulf coast two weeks ago, it appeared to be headed directly for the Port Charlotte area. Subsequently, residents and staff from a local nursing home relocated to the New Day Christian Church temporary shelter. My son Rusty is New Day’s pastor. While most of his family evacuated to the east coast of Florida, Rusty and his 18-year-old son Johnny remained at the church to assist as needed.

Unfortunately, the Port Charlotte area took a direct hit from the most horrific storm to hit Florida in a hundred years.  Hurricane Ian’s eyewall passed within a mile of New Day, slamming the area with fierce 135 mph winds, torrential rain, and extensive flooding. Although there was some water damage to the back part of the church building, the New Day church building stood firm. Rusty’s house is about five miles away from the church. Besides losing many trees on his property, the house incurred minimal damage. We thank God our loved ones are safe, yet we are sad to know there were over 100 deaths due to the storm.

The New Day Church is actively helping church members and others in the community who experienced significant destruction.  Survivors often experience a cycle of emotions, from relief to reality to feeling overwhelmed.

There have been scores of heartbreaking stories in the wake of Ian. For instance, my son told us about one New Day Church member, a single mother of two children, one of whom is special needs, whose house was destroyed in the storm. This young mother had already struggled financially and had just taken out a loan to start her own beauty salon. Unfortunately, when acquiring the loan, the hurricane insurance was too high for her to afford, so she opted out of it. Sadly, the storm also leveled the strip mall that was to house her dream salon.  As you can imagine, she was distraught.

Yet, in the worst of times, God’s church steps up. Christians from across the country have responded quickly with generous donations to provide relief.  New Day Church has received numerous gifts from churches and individual believers across the country.  The outpouring of compassion has been so significant it has allowed New Day Church to help many within their community, including that single mother.

Yet that is just the beginning of New Day’s benevolent outreach. Rusty told of how the church provided portable showers on their property so community members without water and power in their homes could come to the church to shower and clean up.  New Day Church members are helping the community rebuild, removing one damaged tree at a time and restoring one building at a time.  For instance, a group of men in the church with pickup trucks and construction skills are cleaning up debris and helping make homes livable again. Others are taking meals and water to desperate people in the community.

Rusty says they are experiencing a whole different phase of community restoration due to the number of displaced people. “So many can’t live in their house. Their roof is destroyed, or water damage has ruined everything. They can’t afford to rent another place, so our church is trying to supplement their expenses for a couple of months.”  Scores of other Florida churches are also offering similar benevolence to their community members.

The New Testament church focused primarily on evangelism.  They were determined to fulfill Christ’s great commission to “make disciples of all nations.”  But the early church also cared for the poor, the widows, and the elderly among them.  Acts 4:33-35 says, “With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”

The church exists primarily to evangelize the lost and edify the saved.  Yet the church also has a responsibility to minister to the needy.  The Apostle John wrote,” If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17).

When disasters strike, the media shows the destruction, visits of politicians, and aid provided by the government. Yet little mention is made of how hundreds of churches and thousands of Christians have responded with immediate assistance.  The help that comes through the church is usually more prompt, personal, and equitable than what the government offers.

Remember at the beginning of Covid-19 when the government shut down churches as “non-essential”?  Most politicians do not have a clue how much assistance churches provide to those in need.  Every day across the country, the generosity and compassion of churches give assistance and hope to the poor and oppressed.

If you would like to assist the hurricane victims in Florida and be confident your gift is going directly to meet the needs of desperate people, I encourage you to send a check to New Day Christian Church. Write “Hurricane Relief” on the memo line.  Mail it to

New Day Christian Church
Attn: Steve Debona
20212 Peachland Blvd
Port Charlotte, Florida 33954

Remember, Jesus said, …whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

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