POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A Pompano Beach church is in need of help after heavy rains caused its roof to collapse.
James Smith, the pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, thought it was a matter of time.
He's spent the past couple of days taking in the damage to the church that he's led for the last five years.
The worst of it is in the back of the building, where part of the roof gave way in the torrential rainfall this week.
"It rained Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I came yesterday to assess the damage," Smith said.
The church has needed a new roof for some time, but with few donations and offerings, Smith faced a tough decision and ultimately decided to keep the lights on and lose the insurance.
"If we get another rainstorm in here, any kind of way like last week, I don't know what we are going to do because that whole roof on that side will cave in," Smith said. "We probably won't even be able to have church here."
The need for repairs couldn't have come at a worse time for the church.
On Monday, the church will begin its summer lunch program for children in the neighborhood.
"During the summer, parents are working, especially in the inner city, and these kids, we get them to come in and they don't have breakfast or lunch and we get them, boatloads of them, that come in," Smith said.
The pastor is hoping that someone can help the church out. He estimates that a new roof will cost more than $10,000, which is more than the church can afford.
"They've been very supportive," he said about his congregation. "They understand and we are doing the best that we can. We just don't have it."