Help Us Rebuild the Kids' Classroom
Tidal flooding hit our lower level on September 26. The kids' classroom took the worst of it. Our Sunday kids meet there, and a creative co-op for local kids uses it during the week. Rebuilding it to hold up against the next storm and putting it back together will cost about $40,000.
More than 40 people have given. $15,931 to go.
Before the Flood
Before September 26, our lower level was the busiest part of the building.
Every year we host Winter Wonderland, a holiday party for families in the Long Beach school district who need extra help at the holidays. For decades we've packed Thanksgiving baskets with the school district, too.
Two AA groups and an Al-Anon group meet downstairs every week. So do the Girl Scouts and two other churches.
Our kids' ministry is growing. On Sundays the classroom is full of kids singing and learning about Jesus, and during the week a creative co-op for local kids uses the same room. For now the co-op meets in the social hall, and the classroom stays closed until it's rebuilt.
What Happened
On September 26, a high tide rose over our bulkhead, which we'd just repaired in 2025, and came in at the steps under the thrift shop. Days later, another high tide pushed water up through the floors of several rooms. The sanctuary stayed dry. The kids' classroom took the worst of it.
Our insurance isn't covering this, so the repairs depend on gifts and volunteers.
What We're Rebuilding
The new room is built to take water and dry out on its own:
- A waterproofed concrete block wall around the base of the room
- A drain along the inside edge that pumps out water coming up from below
- A tile floor set in mortar
- Heat built into the floor, replacing baseboard heaters that sat right where the water rises
- New sheetrock and paint above the block wall
The $40,000 also covers the floor heat, cleanup, the classroom's fire alarm wiring, a new projector to replace the one we lost, and the furniture and supplies to put the room back together. Neighbors, churches and our own members have given $17,069, and a donor matched $7,000 of those gifts.
Update, November 9
Volunteers cleared out the room, and the damaged concrete floor has been patched. We're reviewing the bid for the wall, drain and tile, and getting prices for the floor heat. We'll post updates here as the work moves.
Ways to Give
Gifts help with flood cleanup and repairs. Use whichever way is easiest for you.
What Your Gift Does
$25
About 3 square feet of the new tile floor
$75
About 10 square feet of the new tile floor
$100
About a foot of the new drain
$1,000
About 10 feet of the new block wall
How to Give
Online
Give to the Flood Repairs fund on Church Center with a card or bank account. You'll get a giving receipt by email.
Zelle
- Open your bank's app and find Zelle. It's often under Send Money or Transfers.
- Send to info@peopleschurchny.com.
- Enter your amount, write "flood" in the memo and send.
Check
Make it out to People's Church and write "flood" in the memo. Mail it to 111 Delaware Ave, Long Beach, NY 11561, or put it in the offering on Sunday at 11.
Lend a Hand
We're planning volunteer work days. Email Pastor Andy or text him at (516) 312-3568, and we'll send you the dates.
Can't do heavy lifting? We need people to write thank-you notes, help push the city on Delaware Ave flooding and organize the social hall.
Pray With Us
- No more high tides like September 26
- Patience and provision for the co-op families who use the classroom during the week
- Safety for everyone working in the building
- The city to act on flooding along Delaware Ave
- That God uses the recovery to keep bringing neighbors and friends into the church
This Fall, Long Beach Showed Up
One Life, Joy Church, New Hope, CenterPoint Long Beach, the AA groups that meet here and our neighbors came with fans, shop vacs and their own two hands. Our hope is that years from now, that floor is still full: kids singing about Jesus on Sunday, co-op families during the week and AA meetings at night.
Already gave? Thank you. You got us more than halfway. The next best thing is sending this page to someone who'd want to help: peopleschurchny.com/flood.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you." Isaiah 43:2