If a local pastor

Commissioner will help Jesus Miracle Chapel get on track

was looking for a miracle, he may have gotten it. Osceola commissioners vote to save the Jesus Miracle Chapel in Holopaw, despite county staff ’s recommendation that the old building be torn down.

KISSIMMEE — Osceola County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to save the Jesus Miracle Chapel in Holopaw, despite county staff’s recommendation that the forlorn building be torn down.

Commissioner Fred Hawkins Jr. offered to work with the Rev. Lee Hoffman, 92, to bring the property on a rural stretch of U.S. Highway 192 into compliance with county code, as well as develop a business plan to finish the church.

“I know his dream and what he’s trying to accomplish here,” said Hawkins, who’s known Hoffman for about three decades. “If you give me time, I’d like to work with him and see what we can do in the future to move this project along.”

Hoffman began building the church about 25 years ago with dreams of hosting hundreds of worshipers, but he never finished construction because of financial and health problems.

With the help of his friend Mark Lund, 58, of Sebastian, Hoffman is hoping to complete the church.

Hoffman, who has no congregation, was in attendance at the meeting in a wheelchair donning his signature, fadedblue cap that declares “Jesus is my Boss.”

Lund spoke on his behalf and fought back tears as he thanked commissioners for saving the church.

“I want to say thank you for being so fair to him all these years, he’s such a good man,” Lund said. “I’m going to get that church done. Thank you for helping me help him.”

Much of the church’s existing structure, including 100-foot-long concrete walls, was built by Hoffman in his more youthful years. County records reveal construction halted in 1998.

When Hurricane Charley ripped through the state in 2004, gusty winds brought a few of the walls down. Hoffman said he rebuilt the walls himself to save cash.

Lund said Hoffman spent his remaining life savings on the 5-acre property in hopes of completing the church. The preacher now lives month-to-

month on Social Security.

“I’m one to think about the future,” Hoffman said Monday. “The wind tore it down once, and I rebuilt it. I can rebuild it again.”

The chapel has sat roofless for years, which drew the ire of a neighbor who complained to county building officials in 2012.

“This came out of one person’s hatred,” Hawkins said. “I think we ought to stand up to hate today, and help this gentleman today.”

The other commissioners voted in agreement.

Commissioners agreed to delay any hearing on the church until September, to allow time for Hawkins, Lund and Hoffman to develop a plan to finish the church, and also work on demolishing a charred trailer that sits adjacent to it.

A 2012 inspection led to officials recommending the structure be deemed unsafe and leveled, records show.

A decision on the church’s fate was scrapped from a January commission meeting, and in the weeks that followed, Lund said he made sure work on the church ramped up.

Last week crews hauled away sheets of metal that previously were strewn about inside of the church. Workers also removed rotted wood and tiles from a carport, Lund said.

Lund also had discussions with somebody to fix the dilapidated fountain in front of the chapel and is looking forward to securing a permit to remove the trailer from the property in the coming weeks.

“We can really move forward now,” Lund said. “I wanted to be able to … show [county commissioners] we mean business, and we’re getting things done and we will get it done.”

Soon, fundraising will begin in hopes of putting a roof on it once and for all.