Haiti mission continues to grow.

A Brethren mission in Haiti continued to grow in 2006, despite instability in the Caribbean island nation. The Haiti Mission Advisory Committee that met on Nov. 18, 2006, in Miami, Fla., received reports that the effort is still in the very early stages but already includes a worshiping group of about 100--including 80 children--in the Delmas area of the capital city Port-au-Prince. In addition, two preaching points are emerging in neighboring areas of Croix des Bouquets and La Plaine.

"The formation of a fellowship and two preaching points within two years is an amazing pace-- especially with a part-time mission coordinator," commented Merv Keeney, executive director of Global Mission Partnerships for the Church of the Brethren General Board.

It was the third meeting for the advisory committee responsible for the new Haiti mission. The committee’s role is to bring together wider church perspective and mission experience to support and give counsel to the mission committee of L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens and its pastor, Ludovic St. Fleur, who also serves as mission coordinator. Committee members include St. Fleur, Jonathan Cadette, Marie Andre Ridore, Gaston Pierre Louis, Wayne Sutton, Jean Nixon Aubel, Merle Crouse, Jeff Boshart, and Keeney.

The mission in Haiti was approved by the General Board in Oct. 2004, in response to requests from Haitian Brethren in the US and Dominican Republic for a mission to their homeland. It is being carried out through a partnering model that incorporates Haitian Brethren leaders from the US and the DR as prime leadership, under the oversight of the General Board’s executive for Global Mission Partnerships. Pastor Ludovic St. Fleur was called to serve as mission coordinator on a part time basis while he continues pastoral duties at L’Eglise des Freres Haitiens (Haitian Church of the Brethren) in Miami.

In November St. Fleur reported that he had not made a trip to Haiti in the past six months because of instability and risk in the country, where kidnapings for ransom have increased. This insecurity has delayed some of the steps that had been planned for the year. Nevertheless, some other members of the Miami Haitian congregation have visited and made contact with the fellowships in Haiti during this period, according to a report from Keeney.

Teaching basic Christian beliefs has been a main priority for the fellowship, and there have been a number of baptisms. Pastor Yves, who brings some pastoral training and experience from another church background, has been called to give pastoral care for the group. He is being supported with a small stipend. One student has been selected for pastoral training and is being supported for fulltime study at a major seminary in Haiti.

Teaching for all participants and training of leadership are important initial objectives of the mission, Keeney's report added. Initial teaching had been done on earlier trips by St. Fleur and others, and a plan is developing for a series of week-long intensive trainings for 2007. The training will seek to deepen the understanding of Brethren beliefs and practices, especially the role and function of church leadership, which is quite different than is common in Haiti. Haitian Brethren from the DR will be invited to join in leading the training events. A related objective is to translate more Brethren resources into Creole.

The process to legally register as a church in Haiti also has been an area of focus for the Haiti Mission Advisory Committee. This process requires that the church have three recognized pastors, an office headquarters, and some type of service outreach to the community. St. Fleur reported that he and his pastoral team in Miami can be a part of this leadership requirement. The office requirement is prompting exploration of land and sites for possible location of an office and church building, with the possibility of a school or other ministry attached.

Official Church of the Brethren relationships in Haiti go back to at least the 1960s. This history of denominational involvement and recent private mission ventures by Brethren members has resulted in a mix of short-term and semi-permanent ministries and relationships in Haiti. The possibility of linking with some of these efforts, many of which have continuing Brethren support, has the potential to speed up movement toward official registration and also toward fostering a viable church in the country, Keeney said.

The meeting of the advisory committee also included a financial report and a recognition of the 2006 Annual Conference insight session in which three committee members shared various dimensions of the work.

Source: 1/17/2007 Newsline