by Gladys Pace, Bolivar homeowner
In September, Matt and I were looking for some deck furniture in Crystal Beach. We wanted to support a local business, so we found a company called Deck Furniture owned by Debbie and Jerry Valentine.

When we visited the store we met Debbie and Jerry in their driveway and started a conversation. The conversation turned from ordering new deck chairs to the devastation Hurricane Ike caused at Crystal Beach. (Not everyone knows that 3,300 homes were lost there.)

Debbie and Jerry proceeded to tell us how blessed they were and how their business was able to come back unlike so many others. Then Jerry told us that they had lost their church, The Church of Christ, Crystal Beach, and that he was the Pastor. He said the congregation was meeting in the back room of a local store until they could relocate and rebuild. I asked Jerry if the building was insured, and he answered, “Yes, but not enough.”

Jerry went on to tell us that a very wealthy man who lived on the peninsula offered to cover 100 percent of the cost to rebuild their church. He turned down the generous man’s offer because he felt his people, the congregation, needed to rebuild their church. Jerry said that, because the church was theirs, it was their responsibility to rebuild it so that they could be proud and have a sense of belonging.

I was so impressed with what he said and I thought of my own priest, Fr.Bob, who said a similar thing to me about St. Christopher’s renovation. He said it is our duty to keep God’s house in order. It brings to my mind being faithful stewards of God’s bounty.

On a sad note, I recently learned that Pastor Jerry has an aggressive cancer and is in hospice. It made me very sad to know he will not get to preach at his new church. Please keep his family and the Church of Christ in your prayers.

Oh, and Jerry also told me that so many pledges came in from the congregation that they are rebuilding the church as a one-story building (which is more expensive on the coast due to insurance costs) so that the older folks won’t have to walk up a big ramp to the second story. They want it to be easy to enter God’s house!

This article written for the April issue of St. Christopher’s Chronicles. Used by permission

(Editors note: Jerry Valentine passed away on March 2, 2012)