Psalm After Storm

By BILLY TOWNSEND and ADAM EMERSON The Tampa Tribune

Published: Feb 5, 2007

LADY LAKE - Gospel music, driven by live organ and drum, pulsed through the congregation.

"I will bless the Lord," rose the refrain, over and over, from the crowd of about 400, a mix of churchgoers, media and relief workers.

Some hands swayed aloft in time, while others waved flags.

Gov. Charlie Crist worked the front row of folding chairs in the open-air sanctuary.

Just above the tumult, the Rev. Larry Lynn, pastor of Lady Lake Church of God and a nationally recognized face of the disaster, paced on an octagonal chunk of carpeted flooring.

It fell from the second floor of the 14,000-square-foot church that was reduced to a pile of block, wood and other debris when a powerful tornado ripped through Lady Lake early Friday, killing seven.

"Last week," Lynn said later in his sermon, "we spoke here to several hundred people in Lady Lake. Today this pile of rubble gives us a platform to speak to the world. We're honored and humbled to do so."

Thirteen people were killed by a second twister that roared through the Lake Mack area. A third tornado touched down in New Smyrna Beach. The tornadoes spawned from supercell thunderstorms that cut a 70-mile swath across Central Florida from about 3:15 to 4:30 a.m.

Signs of progress on the church grounds were everywhere Sunday. The clear, cold weather and bright sunlight were a welcome change from overcast skies and rain that plagued relief efforts Saturday.

The Service

As if on cue, a cluster of cirrus clouds appeared above the churchgoers just as the service was about to begin. As word spread, the faithful turned their eyes to the sky, pointing at the cross-shaped formation.

Music minister Brenda Ammons announced that God had "sent us a cross." It lingered for about 20 minutes, then faded.

Backed by a massive wooden cross salvaged Saturday from the wreckage and flanked by American and church flags, Lynn told the assembled, "There's people hurting a lot worse than we are. They've lost family and homes. We've just lost a meeting place."

He brought Crist to the front and thanked him. The governor, who canceled his trip to the Super Bowl in Miami to be in the hard-hit area, followed suit, praising Lynn's leadership. "God bless you, and God bless your church."

Formalities out of the way, Lynn got down to the business of ministering, Church of God style.

"We are unapologetically Pentecostal," he announced. "Hope that doesn't make anybody uncomfortable.

"We are fanatical about Jesus."

Lynn then told anecdotes of death, from biblical stories of Job and King David's son. In each case, Lynn preached, the grieving turned toward God, not away.

"Life's going to go on, and we're here to help you," he said. "Don't let bitterness set in."

Lynn concluded the sermon on a lighter note.

"Right down the road, they're having the Super Bowl. People have paid millions of dollars for television time. I've been on TV all week, and it didn't cost me nothing. If General Motors wants to pay us half of what they paid for that, we'll take it."

Shaken In Paisley, Lake Mack

About 30 miles away, the First Baptist Church in Paisley was intact Sunday, but parishioners were visibly shaken. Everyone knew someone who lost everything, who was hurt or who was killed. "I can attest that this is a church that love built," parishioner Susan Hertzog said.

The Rev. Howard Roszak opened the service by passing along greetings from Heather Downing, whose parents and brother died when the tornado destroyed their Lake Mack home. Heather, 15, a familiar face at the church whom Roszak called "our little sister," was in surgery Sunday. Her aunt previously told reporters Heather suffered a broken pelvis.

Roszak opened the sermon by reading from Ecclesiastes: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die …"

"It's OK to hurt," Roszak told the congregation. "We need to take time to mourn. Things like this can make you better, or they can make you bitter."

When the service ended, churchgoers gathered hot meals and bottled water and headed to the battered areas.

"I'm doing God's work," church member Debbie Peters said.

Helping Hands

Volunteers from other churches and nonprofit groups from throughout the state poured into Lake County, bringing supplies and clearing debris.

Property damage in Sumter, Lake and Volusia counties is estimated at $68 million. About 1,300 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed. President Bush has designated the region a disaster area, making it eligible for millions of dollars in aid and loans.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will set up two disaster recovery centers in the Lake Mack and Lady Lake areas by today, said Tommy Carpenter, of the Lake County emergency operations center.

Volunteers from the American Legion went from site to site in Lake Mack, organizing piles of photographs, baby toys, muddy tools and books.

"We're trying to save anything we can," said Tonilynn Farris-Miller.

In Lady Lake, church-based relief workers fanned out and went from house to house offering help.

They found Tess Wengren, who turned 80 on Sunday, crawling underneath her damaged mobile home trying to fix her mangled plumbing.

Wengren, who has no family, spent Saturday night inside the ruined home with no power, an unstable floor and broken pipes. She had not seen any of her seven cats since the storm.

"I had nobody to keep me warm," she said.

After about an hour of negotiation, the volunteers persuaded Wengren to go stay with a friend down the street.

Largely absent from the area Sunday were insurance adjusters.

Wengren's insurance company told her not to count on anyone until Monday because everyone is so busy.

Vern Huber, 87, whose Lake Mack home was badly damaged and his garage destroyed, called his insurer Friday. He is still waiting.

Lake County closed its last two shelters. No one showed up because they all had places to stay - whether with family, friends, or good Samaritans who opened up their homes.

"It's pretty remarkable how folks have helped one another," Carpenter said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at (863)284-1409 or btownsend@tampatrib.com.