LADY LAKE, Fla. – You are not likely to find many pastors like Tony Omerzu who are knowledgeable about the relationship between church doors, fire safety codes and local insurance rates.
Omerzu, pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Lady Lake, has learned about those connections through experience. And while it has been quite the ordeal, he remains hopeful it is now all behind him.
In January, a contractor updated 21 of the church’s 26 interior doors to meet local fire code requirements. Recently, the doors passed inspection by the city’s fire inspector. This final step means the church is in full compliance with city code.
At issue was the gap between the doors and their frames. If the gap is even 1/16 of an inch too wide, it can allow fire to spread to other parts of the building.
The doors had failed two inspections over the past seven years, which made Omerzu somewhat skeptical about the inspection earlier this month. He was thankful to report the good news to his congregation afterward.
“I prayed and I sent an email to our church members, praising God that we had passed and that God had been with us through it,” he said.
Three different contractors worked to bring the doors up to code during that seven-year period, but only the most recent update met the requirements. The second attempt missed compliance by just 1/16 of an inch.
Crossroads Church was built in 2007, so it is a relatively new building, but the doors were apparently never brought up to code. The city began enforcing the code in area churches and businesses in an effort to increase its Insurance Services Office rating, which measures a community’s fire protection capabilities. The higher the rating, the lower the insurance rates for residents.
The church received bids from local contractors for the work. The most recent bid was $16,000 and required installation of a flame-retardant aluminum alloy strip.
Omerzu was unsure how the church would pay for the project. He describes it as a “small church with a big heart” that averages about 50 in attendance each Sunday and does not have a large budget. But he watched as God provided through a variety of means.
A local family donated $5,000, and church members gave another $3,000 through the church’s Chest for Joash offering. Like Joash in the Bible, who raised funds for temple repairs, the church set up a chest for members to drop in donations for the specific project. That brought the total to $8,000 — the amount required to secure the contractor.
Another member later donated $3,000, leaving $5,000 remaining. That is where the Florida Baptist Convention stepped in.
After learning about the need in the fall, Philip Herrington, catalyst for the North Region, said the convention would provide a $5,000 grant to complete the project.
“I’m grateful that the Florida Baptist Convention is able to assist with a $5,000 grant for the additional work,” Herrington said. “This is a cooperative partnership in ministry that encourages churches to stay focused on the gospel mission, no matter the circumstance.”
The news brought relief to the church.
“We were just like, ‘Praise the Lord!’ We could not believe we might be able to get this done,” Omerzu said. “We do have a God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills — and the hills themselves. He has provided and he always has. I knew he would do it; I just didn’t know how.”
Once the funds were raised, the church delayed repairs until after Christmas due to holiday events.
While he is thankful to those who contributed to the upgrades, Omerzu said he cannot help but think about how the funds might otherwise have been used to reach the community with the gospel. Still, he believes God is at work in the church.
“We know that God is in control and, in his sovereignty, he provided for us,” he said. “If we are faithful, he will provide what is needed to reach our community.”
