ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This is the season for family, joy and giving. But for a lot of people in the Bay area, that warm and fuzzy feeling was missing because of all of the destruction communities have gone through this year.

For anyone feeling that way, there’s a local reverend offering up a special prayer and some important reminders.

What You Need To Know

  • The Rev. Ryan Whitley is the director of St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Snell Isle

  • Whitley says the church suffered some flood damage from Hurricane Helene

  • He delivered a sermon of encouragement on Christmas Day and reminded people it’s OK to not be OK during this holiday season

The crosses, stained glass windows and the pews is how the Rev. Ryan Whitley would like to describe St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Snell Isle, where he serves as the director.

The sanctuary at the church on Snell Isle is back to some normalcy now, but three months ago it was a different story.

“Since the water only came up about two inches in here, nothing was damaged, aside from some of the wood on the pews,” Whitley said of damage caused by Hurricane Helene. “I think I was devastated to see the damage, not just throughout the church, but throughout the neighborhood. It was surprising. It was stunning. This is a low-lying neighborhood, everybody knows, but the amount of water that came with Helene was unprecedented.”

Whitley lives nearby, and his home was destroyed, too.

“I live about three blocks away and the rectory was also flooded, about 13 inches of water in the rectory," he said. "So, it’s completely gutted as well."

While giving a tour of the church, the damage in every room from flood waters was visible. Even part of the church’s school was hit hard.

So how, even with all of that, can he be so hopeful? That answer leads right back to the main sanctuary, where he delivered a Christmas Day sermon of encouragement.

“One of the things we like to say is in the midst of life, we are in death," he said. "We’re always in the process of living and dying and being reborn. He (God) is able to understand where we’re coming from, even when we’re not putting our best foot forward or our best face on.

"There were some people here yesterday that I never seen before. I don’t know why they walked in those doors yesterday morning, but we’re here for them.”

That’s what he says the faith walk is all about and he wants to remind people it’s OK to not be OK during this joyous season.

“I tell people if you are feeling sad, there’s a psalm for it. If you’re feeling happy, there’s a psalm for it. If you’re feeling angry, there’s a psalm for it,” he said. “A lot people, I think, were raised with the idea that you can’t be sad in church and you can’t be mad at God, and I never thought those to be true.

"I think the scriptures are full of people that are both sad and mad at different times in life and different seasons of life.”