ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of people came out to the iconic Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine to celebrate 195 years as Florida’s oldest congregation, along with another milestone. The church is one step closer to completing its renovation project nearly two years after Hurricane Irma hit.
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Kim Savage remembers the devastation Hurricane Irma brought to St. Augustine back in 2017.
“It was just really sad,” said Savage.
It toppled the 17-foot cross of the 195-year-old church where Savage and her family attend service.
Church leaders said there were cracks in the dome, termites and rot from the storm damage.
The church had talked about restoration efforts, but after the hurricane hit, it began working to raise $3.5 million to help with repairs.
“Literally, we’ve been able to put it back up. We’ve been able to restore the dome and in doing so restore this whole entire church,” said Lauren Eastman, with the Memorial Presbyterian Church Capital Campaign.
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The church has added new, water-resistant materials to the outside and they’ve strengthened the stained glass windows in case there’s another storm.
“It’s like a brand-new little baby, it's phenomenal to see in one year's time what’s happened,” said Pastor Hunter Camp.
The restoration project isn’t completed, as part of the church still needs to be finished.
Church leaders tell Action News Jax they need to raise a little over $500,000 to get this done.
They’ve already received donations from the community, their congregation, Kenan Charitable Trust, the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida.
Despite the hurricane damage, the congregation has continued to grow with more than 800 members, including four generations in Savage’s family.
“It’s wonderful that it’s been around that long and everyone still supports it,” said Savage.
The Memorial Presbyterian Church is hoping to complete all of its renovations and repairs by 2024.
Cox Media Group
