A pilgrimage meant to be a spiritual high point for a St. Petersburg church has turned into an anxious waiting game, as a group of local worshippers ride out the latest Middle East crisis and wait for a safe way home.
The GT Church group, a contingent of 34 people on a guided tour, was at the River Jordan for a baptism when air-raid sirens began wailing. With strikes in Iran and retaliatory fire echoing around the region, the group cut the outing short and shifted to a hotel in Tiberias that has an on-site bomb shelter.
Pastor Dr. Randy Helms told reporters the group has repeatedly had to “hunker down” as fresh sirens sounded, moving in and out of the shelter as instructed. According to Bay News 9, Helms said the group has sheltered roughly 15 times so far. Local station WTSP described the travelers as a few dozen St. Petersburg residents touring the Holy Land.
Officials, Nonprofits And Evacuation Options
Helms said he has been in touch with the U.S. State Department and the St. Petersburg mayor’s office as he works options to get the group out safely. The U.S. State Department has urged Americans in the region to leave when they can and, according to its country page, recently authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from the area.
Veteran-led organizations that have assisted in previous crises are also on the radar. Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue, which helps move people out of conflict zones, has been mentioned as one possible avenue if commercial routes or organized evacuations open up.
How Florida Has Handled Similar Evacuations
Florida has been down this road before. In 2025, the state coordinated evacuations and charter flights for residents stranded in the Middle East, flying evacuees into Tampa as state agencies and nonprofit teams teamed up on logistics, according to WLRN. That earlier effort offers a template for the kinds of channels that could be used again if this St. Petersburg group secures seats on an evacuation flight or a safe commercial corridor emerges.
Local Reaction And Next Steps
Back home, the broader conflict is reverberating on the streets of St. Petersburg. Protesters gathered downtown after the recent strikes, reflecting a range of reactions to the unfolding situation, according to local public radio station WUSF.
For now, Helms says his congregants are staying as calm as they can, watching for official updates, and continuing to coordinate with government contacts and nonprofit partners as they wait for a safe route back to Florida.
