Angels from Texas minister to New Jersey church

PORT MONMOUTH, N.J.—Members of a small storm-damaged church in New Jersey considered Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers more than a welcome sight.

“I don’t know how they heard of us, … but they are angels sent from God,” Wanda Wohlin, ministry assistant to the pastor at Port Monmouth Community Church, wrote on her Facebook page.

{mosimage}Pastor Don Magaw reprinted Wohlin’s social media post as part of his column in a recent church newsletter.

Hurricane Sandy severely damaged Port Monmouth Community Church, ripping off a portion of the facility’s exterior wall and exposing the sanctuary to a 13-foot storm surge.

“All furnishings floated in the water, and we lost our organ, two pulpits, our electronic sound system, a piano, stove, refrigerator, hot water heater, hymn books, Bibles and many books, several of which were very old and cannot be replaced,” Wohlin wrote.

“Last Saturday morning, we met at the church to begin the cleanup. We were walking around in shock trying to figure out where to start when the Texas Baptist Men pulled up in their pickup trucks with their long trailer filled with tools and supplies and introduced themselves, telling us they were the mud-out group here to clean out our church for us.”

The TBM volunteers spent three days washing and sanitizing any salvageable contents, removing damaged sheetrock and power-washing interior walls and floors.

“They even retrieved our utility shed that floated across the street fully loaded and placed it back where it belongs,” Wohlin wrote.
Before the crew returned to Texas, they replaced an electrical meter and storm-damaged electrical wiring.

“Truly, God was working. (The TBM volunteers) don’t get paid for their work and do it simply to spread the love of Jesus. They wouldn’t even let us help, as they wanted us to save our strength for the rebuilding still to be done,” Wohlin wrote.

Magaw added his own postscript to his assistant’s observations: “On Saturday, I actually saw the remains of the church for the first time in person. I really had to hide it and hold back the tears. Then when I went home, I thanked the Lord for sending these people to us—and then the tears of joy began to flow. We are a very small group, but we love the Lord with all our hearts. Flood insurance or not, we will rebuild, and we will be on fire for Christ even more than ever before.”