LAKELAND, Fla. -- A Lakeland church has continued to grow despite a terrible tragedy in 2009.
- Lightning strike at Lakeland church field in 2009
- 1 killed, 18 injured
- Church has grown tremendously since then
Dozens of members of the Iglesia Bautista Maranatha Baptist Church were celebrating the 4th of July when lightning struck people on a church soccer field.
One man was killed and 18 people were taken to the hospital. Pastor Jose Ramirez' son Daniel was knocked to the ground by the lightning strike.
"And all of a sudden I heard this big lightening or this big boom and I remember getting up," said Ramirez. "It all went pitch black."
Ramirez said his father yelled at people in the open field to quickly get under a nearby pole barn until first responders arrived.
Since that terrible event the church has only grown stronger. It has actually grown in members. That's not something Daniel Ramirez expected at right after the lightning strike.
"At the moment no but as the years go by we all that that faith and that hope that we were going to build something one day." he said.
The Spanish speaking congregation of several hundred has outgrown it's current facilities. Church members have been volunteering lots of time to build a larger sanctuary. It is very close to being finished.
Church members and the Ramirez family are also much more careful when they see storm clouds in the area.
"When we come out of Walmart or any food markets or whatever and it's raining we stay inside for a while and until the rain passes and all the lightening goes by," said Ramirez. "Even if we are late and everybody stares at us like why don’t you go outside. I mean nothing is going to happen. We are like nah, I’m not running outside."
Church members we set to spend the 4th of July holiday doing voluntary construction work on the new sanctuary.