Twenty years after a 26-foot storm surge stole its pews, ruined its interior, destroyed the homes of one-third of its members, and left an alligator in the fellowship hall, First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport marked Hurricane Katrina’s anniversary with a message of thanks to those who helped the church and community.

In August 2025, First Pres drafted a Resolution of Thanks, which was read at Grace Presbytery’s September meeting.

“BE IT RESOLVED, that the First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport, Mississippi, on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, expresses its deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to all churches, individuals, and denominations, who walked beside us during our
season of loss and rebuilding,” the resolution reads, in part.

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we acknowledge and celebrate the body of Christ made visible through these acts of mercy and compassion, and we commit to honoring this legacy by extending the same compassion and care to others in need; and furthermore that this Resolution be duly spread upon the minutes of the Session and transmitted to the PCA, Grace Presbytery, MNA, supporting churches, denominations, and individuals. To God be the glory, now and forever.”

The church also sent out 116 letters to churches, agencies, presbyteries, and individuals who financially supported the church after the hurricane, many also coming to Gulfport to assist with hurricane relief in the weeks, months, and years after the storm. In 2005 First Pres used a multi-acre property the church owned as a base camp, called Camp Hope, for relief work in the region.

“As we remember the devastation wrought, including the facilities of First Presbyterian Church, Gulfport, we remember those who came with willing hearts to assist us,” the letter says. “We cannot thank you enough for your contribution to our restoration and recovery, and our successes in corporate worship and the spreading of the Gospel.”

The church also marked the hurricane’s 20th anniversary with a display in its narthex featuring photographs, news clippings, artifacts from its former sanctuary, and an award issued by the State of Mississippi for the relief work the church provided out of Camp Hope.

“Katrina is something people talk about, but we can forget. We want to remember how faithful the Lord has been,” said Gardner Fish, associate pastor at First Pres.

Though Fish was not on staff at First Pres in 2005, he said the two ruling elders who were on session in 2005 look back on the season after the hurricane as a blessing. It forced the church to take stock of what really mattered.

“It’s hard to say Katrina was a blessing, but the church in many ways was dying, and now we are thriving,” he said.

First Pres was technically without a senior pastor when the hurricane made landfall on the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. In the spring 2025, First Pres had called Guy Richard to be its next senior pastor, and Richard intended to start in the fall after completing his doctoral dissertation.

After the hurricane, Richard’s first contact with First Pres was the head of the pulpit search committee calling with the grim news: the church was gone, and many of the members (including the elder on the line) had lost their homes. He told Richard to find another call because the church could not pay a pastor.

Then a deacon from First Pres called and implored Richard to come as soon as he could. “We need you,” the deacon said.

And so Richard went to Gulfport, living with an elder for 10 weeks and helping the congregation with its recovery work.

Years earlier the church had been given a parcel of land with a prohibition on selling the property for 30 years. First Pres put tent and RV hookups on the land, built bunk houses, erected dining and laundry facilities, and created a base camp for hosting work crews over the next two and a half years.

Richard estimates that during the time that Camp Hope was active, about 2,500 volunteers went through the camp and fixed 300-400 homes. He said Heritage Presbytery (located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) adopted First Pres and helped create Camp Hope. Volunteers began by repairing the homes of church members and then moved to their neighbors.

The hurricane was also the catalyst for tremendous growth. Richard estimated that when he began at First Pres, the church had about 130 people in worship on a Sunday morning. About 50 of those lost everything in the hurricane and left town when they received their insurance payouts.

By the time Richard concluded his ministry at First Pres in 2017, he estimates the church had more than 300 worshippers on Sunday mornings. The letter that First Pres sent to its Katrina volunteers says the church now has 370 members.

“The Lord brought 300-400 members through that process,” Richard said. He is now the president of Reformed Theological Seminary Atlanta and executive director of RTS’ Nashville extension.

The Lord also brought in funding. First Pres was underinsured when the hurricane came through, so the insurance payout represented a fraction of the $4 million in damage the church sustained.

Richard said the Lord used him to raise $10.5 million in two and a half years. With those funds the congregation helped its community and rebuilt the church six miles north of its original site.

“Because the loss was so bad, we focused our efforts on getting members and the community into homes before we even worried about the church,” Richard said. “After two and a half years, the steady stream of volunteers dried up. We thought it was time to turn our attention to the church building and close Camp Hope.”

First Pres brought to its new location a few artifacts from its original location, like parts of its pulpit and the stone sign that stood outside the church.

And First Pres brought with it a greater confidence in God’s provision for his church.

“Being on the session with the elders, when we come to difficult times – budget or hard decisions – we have two elders who were on the session [in 2005],” Fish said. “And when things are hard, they talk about Katrina and how the church had to rely on the Lord, how God provided when they went to him in prayer. Being part of a church that has seen the Lord provide and move mountains helps give perspective to hard situations. We keep sight of the big things, but also believe he will do it again.