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Pastor Hector Gordon’s Punto Norte Iglesia congregation helped clean up the site of the Jesus Miracle Chapel in Holopaw the last two Saturdays to set in motion a plan to build a new church and school on the site. PHOTO/PUNTO NORTE IGLESIA
The Jesus Miracle Chapel sits just east of Holopaw Road on U.S. 192 in east Osceola County.
That the building, let alone a chapel, still stands is a miracle of its own.
And now, it may serve as a miracle for a Kissimmee pastor and his congregation.
The chapel is currently a dilapidated building, but in the near future Pastor Hector Gordon hopes for it to become the new home of Punto Norte Iglesia and Christian Academy.
It will be the culmination of an incredible story of faith of Rev. Lee Hoffman, and taken on by a friend sent on a whim.
Hoffman first saw the building in the 1970s. It came with the vision for a chapel that could house a 200-person congregation. He eventually bought the land in 1991 using his meager savings, the sale of a home and Social Security proceeds, and worked to build it.
But his money and energy — but not his spirit — began running out in 1998 and work stopped. In 2004, Hurricane Charley tore at the roof and its concrete walls, leaving it an unsafe shell.
Hoffman asked for — and got — help to save the chapel from demolition numerous times. In 2017, county code enforcement recommended deeming the building unsafe, clearing the way for a quick demolition. State Rep. Fred Hawkins, then the county commissioner for that end of the county, recognized Hoffman’s passion for preaching and the chapel, and helped convince the county to give him a chance to get something built rather than torn down.
During this time, in 2014, Mark Lund, who lives and works in Sebastian, 55 miles away, met Hoffman by chance. In his travels to his other land in the area, Lund stopped in out of curiosity and met Hoffman, who shared his hopes for the church.
“It was then I knew I had to help him,” Lund said. “He lived in a mobile home on the site, and when he invited me in, I couldn’t believe the conditions he lived in, so my wife and I offered to come help clean it up. He was going on 90 then and needed the help.”
For two years, Lund would come to Holopaw and help Hoffman with what work they could do on Jesus Miracle Chapel. Eventually, Lund brought Hoffman, who never married and had no local family, to Sebastian to live with him. They set up a non-profit foundation, with Lee as president, Mark vice president and wife Denise secretary, to be better able to raise funds to work on the chapel.
“Before we could, we had to appeal to the county more than once to let us keep working on it and not tear it down,” said Lund, who appeared with a wheelchair-bound Hoffman in front of the County Commission in 2017.
“I asked them, is this what we do in America, tear down churches?” Lund said. “Mr. Hawkins stepped up and convinced the board to let us keep working.”
Part of that agreement was to remove a burnedout trailer from the property. Lund sold his boat to raise the funds to do that.
Hoffman passed away on April 11, 2021 at the age of 96, leaving Lund to wonder how to proceed.
Enter Pastor Gordon. His Kissimmee Punto Norte Iglesia church will lose its lease on March 30.
“I’d seen the property in my own travels,” he said.
“I’d never thought of Holopaw as the next home of our church, but it called to me.”
It was a call Lund said must have come from above.
“We needed someone to complete the church, and Hector was exactly what me and my wife prayed for,” Lund said.
In a perfect situation, Lund transferred the property in the name of Hoffman’s non-profit to Gordon’s church, another non-profit. And Gordon is also an electrical engineer and spent 20 years in construction, so he’ll be able to be front-and-center on all building plans.
“People think I sold the property and pocketed the money, which isn’t true,” Lund said. “There were IRS rules that had to be followed. No money changed hands. It was a blessing for everybody.”
Gordon says he has architectural plans for a two-story building with a church and school that will cost upwards of $1 million to build. He said he’ll present them at an Osceola County pre-developmental hearing on Feb. 2.
“There is going to be housing developments out that way, east of Harmony,” Gordon said. “I feel we can contribute to Lee’s legacy and make his dreams a reality.”
The process is going to be long, but it started last Saturday when Gordon’s congregation joined him and Lund clearing the site of tree limbs and other debris in order for a building restoration project to begin.
“He had 30 people there, I was blown away,” said Lund, who said more work will take place on coming weekends.
And Gordon is happy to have volunteers come out to help. To reach him, call 407-624-8537 or email contacto@puntonorteiglesia.org.
