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Church Becomes Place of Refuge after Hurricane Hermine

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A church in Tallahassee, Florida opened its doors to locals affected by hurricane Hermine, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Pastor Greg James, with Life Church International Center, opened his church doors early Saturday morning after power was restored. Church members and others came together to help by cooking food, raising donations, and providing the care people needed.

An average of 225 people have been fed daily since Saturday and 30 people have spent the night in the church.

"One of the biggest things for me was this showed me what a real ministry looks like," said 33-year-old Charlene Howard, who lost power to her home for several days.

"It has been a blessing, really," Howard said. "Many people didn't have a place to go to, or they don't have family here. This was a place of refuge, even for a short time, but it really has helped people get through the storm."

Thousands of others continued to be without power on Monday. Adner Marcelin, a local that lives close to the church, said he would not have anywhere else to go had it not been for the church.

"The first night we tried to tough it out because we really didn't have anywhere to go," Marcelin said. "This has been a huge, huge blessing. I am glad to see others are getting their power restored. I wonder if this particular facility wasn't here what a lot of us would have done."

Pastor James said one family from Georgia drove 90 miles down to Florida to help, bringing bottled water for the displaced residents.

"It has been a very humbling experience," James said. "I had members who were without power, and as soon as we found out as we did at the church, we said, 'Let's go.' We canceled church service Sunday to keep church open for people to come in, stay, and it has been amazing."

James explains to the Tallahassee Democrat why he opened his church:

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