Columbus Church Gives Back To Its Founding Church In Florida

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Hurricane Irma has left her mark across Florida.

She’s uprooted homes, businesses, churches, and people.

One Columbus church has ties to one of the hard-hit Florida towns, now they’re lending a hand.

Life Church in Columbus was founded in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Many members of the founding church are now receiving help from their Mississippi sister church, including the family who are the founders of both churches.

Hurricane Irma hits close to home here in Columbus, particularly those who go to Life Church.

Life Church planted down its original roots in Fort Myers, Florida .

“Our church is a part of a larger network of churches that are actually spread out around the United States. So, we have churches that were effected from Hurricane Harvey actually, and now being effected by Hurricane Irma and so it means a lot to us, that we can be a place that those family members can come,” says Life Church Pastor Jody Andrews.

Florida Pastor Ryan Deaton, along with other church members, caravaned almost twenty-hours to The Friendly City to evacuate from Hurricane Irma.

“My in-laws are here, we knew we had a place to stay and wouldn’t have to fight to find a hotel room and we didn’t want to get stuck in a shelter in Fort Myers, so we just headed up this way. Plus, we knew we had the church here, so people that love us, and we could worship somewhere on Sunday,” says Deaton.

The Columbus branch started preparing for their sister church members, once they saw how bad the storm was going to get.

“We knew that families there would need places to come, so anything that we can do to help out. So, we began to have homes, people in our congregation make places for people to stay,” says Andrews.

Deaton is the founder of the Columbus branch and couldn’t be more thankful to the church for opening its doors.

Now that Irma has passed, Deaton says he’s ready for when he can reopen the doors in Florida.

“Our church building is fine. We had a little bit of leakage there, but nothing major, so we’re going to be able to have service there on Sunday, may not have electricity yet. We don’t know that yet, but that’s alright, we’ll have some kind of service there. Our home, didn’t maybe fair so well. We have a tree leaning on our roof, but there’s no major structural damage. We had flood waters come in it,” says Deaton.

People from all over the country are wanting to help hurricane victims, including this former Life Church member in Florida.

He drives a cattle truck and is on the road to Florida to help.

On his way there, he caught up with his old church members in Mississippi, offering to load his truck up with supplies.

He’s soon to be on his way with 6,000 pounds of donations to pass out at the Florida branch.

“If we listen to God, he mobilizes us in the time of need and people in Florida right now, are in mist of desperation, anguish, and despair and he mobilizes his servants and I’m just a servant,” says Andy Neeley.

Life Church in Columbus is no longer receiving physical donations at this time, but will still take monetary donations.

To donate, text STORM to 662-368-2829