PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Nearly eight years after Hurricane Michael, a local church is moving back into its sanctuary.
First Presbyterian Church in Downtown Panama City is set to host its first service in its reconstructed sanctuary on Sunday. The service marks the first time the church has gathered in the sanctuary since October 2018.
The church completed a $7.5 million reconstruction project. The storm damaged around 90% of structures in Panama City, according to FEMA.
“I have said before, we all remember right after the hurricane, sitting on buckets around the property, going, what in the world are we going to do? And here we are, 7 and a half years later, and we have an almost complete 20,000 square foot rebuilt sanctuary,” said Jay Trumbull, a church elder.
Trumbull said it took about 5 years to secure FEMA funding for the project.
The first service back at the church begins at 10:25 a.m. Sunday, April 19.
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