HORSESHOE BEACH—Devastation as far as the eye can see. Piles of debris lining the roads. Remnants of life as it used to be.
Known for its laid-back, friendly fishing village vibe, the quaint community of Horseshoe Beach found itself directly in the recent path of Hurricane Helene’s 140 mph winds and 20-foot storm surge. Today, the community is in pieces–once again.
Horseshoe Beach, like other communities in Florida’s Big Bend region, has experienced three hurricanes in just 13 months—Hurricane Idalia in August 2023, Hurricane Debby in August 2024 and now Hurricane Helene.
‘Lean on His promises’
“Satan is breathing down our necks, and the challenge we again face for the third time in less than 13 months is overwhelming to our minds,” said Donnie Ownby, pastor of First Baptist Church in Horseshoe Beach.
The church, in the pastor’s eyes, may be overwhelmed, but it is not defeated.
“Still at the break of dawn, here in our refuge, we simply lean on His promises!”
Ownby has learned what it means to lead his congregation to weather the storm and trust God.
He and his wife first arrived to serve the small church in September 2023, just days after Hurricane Idalia unleashed 125 mph winds and a 10-foot storm surge in the region, causing extensive damage throughout the community and not sparing the church facility.
At that time, the congregation lost its piano, pews and sound system, and many Bibles and hymnals were left floating away in Idalia’s aftermath. The parsonage was a drenched mess, with appliances and personal items soaked.
The congregation had gone for more than a year without a pastor, and that was not how church members wanted to welcome the new pastor.
As Ownby and his wife arrived and began investing their lives in the community, a year-long floor-to-ceiling renovation of both the sanctuary and parsonage—including new drywall, flooring and kitchen cabinets—began.
And then, just as renovations were being completed and celebrated, Hurricane Helene threatened the community.
During the past 13 months, the former Tennessee pastor has learned a thing or two about hurricane preparation. Before Hurricane Helene’s landfall, church members rallied together by emptying out all furniture and other items from the newly-renovated church facility and parsonage into dry storage and a moving truck.
Ownby took to social media to show a deep gratitude for those who served the church, despite their own homes being at risk.
“So many to thank, so many feelings that cannot be expressed, nor even words that can describe the gratitude I feel for those who helped move both church and parsonage furniture before the arrival of this storm,” said Ownby. “They sacrificed their own needs to care for mine.”
With the church furniture and other movable items deemed safe from the hurricane’s fury, the sanctuary and parsonage felt the storm’s full impact.
Today, the interior of the sanctuary, home to life’s joys and sorrows for many years, is an empty water-logged shell.
Still, hanging on the wall of the church fellowship hall, draped in purple, is the cross of Christ, unscathed by the storm.
Outside, as a testimony to God’s faithfulness for the entire community, the church steeple still rises high into the now-blue skies.
The cross and the steeple energize and inspire the people.
The heartbeat of the congregation, the only church within a 20-mile radius, is to be laser-focused on rebuilding and continuing to be a lighthouse for the community, the pastor said.
“We will rebuild,” said Ownby. “We may be cast down, but we will not be defeated. God is able.”
Photos by William Haun for the Florida Baptist Convention
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