WELCOME TO BRIGANTINE, NEW JERSEY

During the week of July 30 your 2017 Hurricane Sandy mission team, consisting of Kelly Brown, John and Leah Sheppard, Bob Rodibaugh and Frank Wassilak, will be hosted by Community Presbyterian Church, in Brigantine, New Jersey.   Brigantine is an attractive residential community, located on an island just north of Atlantic City.   This introductory blog will give you some background about the community and church and the impact of Super Storm Sandy, as we currently understand it.

Brigantine

This satellite photo, looking approximately southwest, shows Brigantine relative to Atlantic City.      Our host church is located in about the middle of the island, in the center of town. 

According to the Chamber of Commerce web site for the city (http://brigantinechamber.com/), the community is described as “An Island for All Seasons, An Island for All Reasons”.   There are many recreational activities for residents and visitors:  beach bathing, surfing, fishing, biking, bird watching, dune-riding, golf, etc.   Unfortunately, we’ll miss nearly all of this.

The town has an interesting history.   The first recorded evaluation of Brigantine was in the logbook of the mate on Henry Hudson’s Ship in 1608, as they sailed by. He wrote “This is a very good land to fall in with – a pleasant land to see.”   Indians, whalers, and fishermen were early visitors.   It’s rumored that Captain Kidd stopped here and left buried treasure.

During the latter 1800s the community evolved into a resort community.   Building booms in the early 1920s and after WWII helped complete development of the island.

Community Presbyterian Church (web site http://brigchurch.org/home0.aspx)

Their web site shows that they offer three services each week: Meditative, Traditional and Contemporary.   They operate a thrift shop and food pantry and have at least one choir.  We’ll ask more about their history and activities after we arrive, and how their church was impacted by Sandy.

The Effects of Hurricane Sandy

Brigantine received its share of damage from the storm.   Photos from the Internet show massive waves crashing over the seawall, many flooded streets, cars submerged up to their hoods, trees toppled and extensive beach erosion.  In spite of all of this, a newspaper article printed a year later indicated that Brigantine recovered quicker than many other New Jersey communities.  FEMA distributed $4.93 million for individual assistance, and $2.62 million for municipal assistance.  The city received a $5 million Community Disaster Loan and in 2014 the NJ Department of Community Affairs authorized a $24 million grant for storm-related budget issues not addressed by FEMA Community Disaster Loans.

A Future With Hope

A Future With Hope is sponsored by the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey and UMCOR.   To date, they have restored or built 250 homes, with the support of 11, 730 volunteers from all over the country.   More information about the great work they have done can be found at http://www.afuturewithhope.org/.

Frank Wassilak