MIAMI — Ten years ago last month, Hurricane Andrew, the costliest natural disaster in United States history, ripped across southern Dade County killing 43 people and causing approximately $30 billion in damage.

One of the casualties was Perrine-Peters United Methodist Church here. Ten years after their fellowship hall was destroyed and their church and community were devastated, the church’s members said “Thank you” last month to the United Methodist Church.

“We wanted to thank the denomination, all the people in local churches who gave $10…which became $10 million,” the Rev. Craig Nelson said. Nelson is pastor of Perrine-Peters and was the Miami District disaster response coordinator in 1992.

Church members created a poster-sized card featuring a satellite image of Hurricane Andrew as it passed over south Florida. They signed the card with messages of thanks to the church that gave so much to help them rebuild, Nelson said. The card is being sent to the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

The day after the 10th anniversary of the hurricane, church members gathered for Sunday worship and remembered Andrew, according to Nelson. He said one of the strongest memories was of people emerging from their homes after the hurricane had passed.

“Church members drove by the church and saw the devastation…windows blown out of the sanctuary, hymnals blown across the highway,” he said. “Despite this tremendous devastation, the cross at the back of the chancel area of the church was still hanging. It was great symbolism that God is still there.”

Just as they did the Sunday after Hurricane Andrew, church members sang “Victory in Jesus” on the church lawn.

Some chose not to share their memories of Hurricane Andrew, Nelson said. “It’s still too real for them.”

Three weeks after the service remembering Hurricane Andrew, Perrine-Peters’ members joined United Methodists across the country in remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Nelson said remembering the two disasters adds to both the fear and hope people feel.

“Hurricane Andrew adds to the despair of the times,” he said. “We live in a certain amount of fear. We live in a world that’s not right. How many disasters are we going to go through? The images of the twin towers and Andrew feed into the ongoing fear we have.”

At the same time, the people see that “redemption is a concrete reality,” Nelson said. “The day before Hurricane Andrew, we had a fellowship hall. The day after, we had a slab and two walls. Today, the fellowship hall is 10 times better than it was before the storm.”

Seeing their church, homes and lives rebuilt reminds people that God did sustain them through their own personal devastation, and God will get them through the current atmosphere of fear, according to Nelson.