Melissa victims worship under tents at site of destroyed church building

The faith and resolve of members of the Porto Bello Pentecostal Worship Centre at Cornwall Court in Montego Bay, St James was on full display yesterday as they gathered at the site where Hurricane Melissa obliterated their church to give God thanks as they seek His guidance in pursuing a new beginning.

Under two small tents, which were enough to protect the 30 attendees –who came clad in casual wear – from the mid-morning sun, as they worshipped minus the trappings of electricity, the worship session, which was directed by the church’s Pastor Paul Thompson, was laced with themes of hope and renewal against a backdrop of giving God thanks.

“We, who are a church that is faithful to God’s calling, so regardless of the situation around us, we are here to give thanks and lift up our voices to God because He is good,” said Thompson. “With His guidance, we will rise up again and be even stronger than before.

“The church is not the building, we are the church and we are here. It would have been a total miracle if the church building had survived this Category 5 hurricane. What happened to the building, happened for a reason. We might not know the reason, but God knows the reason.”