By Jay Wittmeyer
The Mission Advisory Committee, which helps guide the international
ministries of the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service
program, held its biennial gathering in Haiti to see first-hand the
holistic ministry of the Haitian mission. The visit hosted by the
Brethren Ministry Center in the Port-au-Prince area, also met with
Haitian leadership to better understand the growth of Eglise des Freres
Haitiens, the Haitian Church of the Brethren.
The committee traveled to Port-au-Prince on Feb. 25 and returned on
March 3. The Mission Advisory Committee consists of Bob Kettering, Carol
Mason, Dale Minnich, Jim Myers, Becky Rhodes, Roger Schrock, and Carol
Waggy. Member Bruce Holderreed was unable to attend. Roy Winter,
associate executive director of Global Mission and Service, executive
director Jay Wittmeyer, and coordinator Kendra Johnson, participated as
staff.
The committee stayed at the Brethren Ministry Center, located in
Croix de Bouquet near the capitol and staffed by mission workers Ilexene
and Michaela Alphonse, and traveled out to visit some of the diverse
ministry programs managed by the Brethren in Haiti: home construction,
including newly built homes in the Marin community; agriculture
development work; water projects; church construction; school projects;
theological education; and a clinic of the Haiti Medical Project. The
committee also divided into smaller groups to attend three separate
Sunday morning worship services. Two highlights of the trip were a visit
to the National Museum and an afternoon at Obama Beach.
Haiti mission coordinator Ludovic St. Fleur, pastor of Miami (Fla.)
Haitian Church of the Brethren, recounted his history with the Church of
the Brethren and reminded the committee that earlier mission efforts
did not come to fruition. He emphasized the need for the Haitian
Brethren community to grow in its understanding of Brethren theology,
that the mind of Christ be more fully developed.
In its work as an advisory group, the committee considered the growth
of the Church of the Brethren in Haiti, as well as in Spain, and
emerging Brethren groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo and
Cameroon. Discussion questioned whether the 1998 Annual Conference
statement “World Mission Philosophy and Global Church Structure” call
for a formal structure is going to be realized.
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Photo by Kendra Johnson
The Mission Advisory Committee visited Eglise
des Freres Haitiens,
the Church of the Brethren
in Haiti, in a recent trip to the Caribbean
island
nation.
|
The committee wrote the following statement, and offers it for consideration:
“The Mission Advisory Committee of the Church of the Brethren USA met
in Haiti February 24-March 3. One of our tasks was to review mission
philosophy, especially the 1998 Annual Conference Statement ‘World
Mission Philosophy and Global Church Structure,’ in light of the newly
registered Haitian Church of the Brethren. In our discussions, we
recognized that the vision of the 1998 statement has not been realized
in terms of a formal structure to hear the voice of the global church.
“In reviewing our history of mission, we celebrated that we are in
fact a global church. The Church of the Brethren is now established in
Brazil, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, India, Spain, the United
States, and Haiti. Our documents and our practices have encouraged
culturally-appropriate mission. We have seen a new generation choosing
to be Brethren and choosing to plant the church where they are. More
than one million people worship weekly in a Church of the Brethren
congregation. We have a long history of working well ecumenically and
influencing the broader church.
“We do confess, however, that we have made mistakes as we have
learned to do mission. Our cultural domination has at times led to
ethno-centric decisions and abuse of our financial power.
“In the spirit of the 1998 paper and the Mission and Ministry Board’s
current strategic plan, MAC [the Mission Advisory Committee] envisioned
a Global Mission Council that would serve as a structure for global
sharing and discernment and as a clearinghouse for use of the Church of
the Brethren name. For instance, there are Congolese who consider
themselves Church of the Brethren after learning about us via the
Internet. This council could be the place where decisions of inclusions
are made rather than just in the US office.
“Our discussions crystallized into the following recommendation as a possible first step.
“In order to more effectively move into the mandate of the 1998
Annual Conference paper on World Mission Philosophy and Global Church
Structure and to meet the current strategic goals of the Mission and
Ministry Board, we propose a conversation be initiated by the office of
Global Missions and Service with the endorsement of the Mission and
Ministry Board and Annual Conference with recognized church of the
Brethren bodies from around the world i.e., Brazil, the Dominican
Republic, Haiti, India, Nigeria, Spain, and the United States.
“The purpose of this invitation is to mutually explore how the Church
of the Brethren might best become a Global Church of the Brethren.
“We do not want to preclude where these discussions might lead but
one consideration might be the establishment of a Church of the Brethren
Global Mission Council consisting of mutual representatives from
recognized Church of the Brethren bodies in order to address the
emergence of new global Church of the Brethren congregations and mission
opportunities around the world.”
-- Jay Wittmeyer is executive director of Global Mission and
Service for the Church of the Brethren. Find a photo album from the
Mission Advisory Committee’s visit to Haiti, featuring photos taken by
Global Mission and Service office coordinator Kendra Johnson, at www.bluemelon.com/churchofthebrethren/haiti.
Source: 3/11/2014 Newsline
