Church of the Brethren steps out on faith in Haiti.

"We want a Haitian church to be strong in its Church of the Brethren understanding from the beginning," said pastor Ludovic St. Fleur of Eglise des Freres Haitiens, a Haitian congregation of the Church of the Brethren in Miami, Fla., speaking of the new Church of the Brethren mission venture in Haiti. A series of strategy meetings in the Dominican Republic in late November have given initial direction for the new mission.

In October, the General Board gave its blessing for the Church of the Brethren to be planted in Haiti. The recommendation from the Mission and Ministries Planning Council (MMPC) came to the board after several years of exploring ministry proposals about Haiti, including holding a consultation last April in Miami to hear from Brethren congregations and individuals already reaching out to Haiti.

Haitian Brethren in the US and the DR who had pressed the question will partner in the mission to Haiti. MMPC had heard that the energy for the mission had come from the Haitians themselves and had encouraged Haitians to lead the new work. Global Mission Partnerships staff will provide some overall coordination and oversight. "There has been keen interest from both the US and Dominican Haitians to take the Church of the Brethren to Haiti," said Merv Keeney, executive director of the board's Global Mission Partnerships. "It is clear that Haitians in both the US and the DR have embraced Brethren identity as meaningful--especially the combination of spiritual and social dimensions of the Gospel that are rooted in our Anabaptist-Pietist heritage."

Among those attending the November meetings was St. Fleur, whose congregation is the largest church in Atlantic Southeast District, as well as longtime Dominican Haitian leaders Anastacia Bueno Beltre, moderator of the Church of the Brethren in the DR; Isaias Santos Tena, pastor of the San Luis congregation; and Ernst Merisier, pastor of the largest Dominican Church of the Brethren congregation, which also is mainly Haitian. Former Dominican moderator Wilson Nova; Nancy and Irvin Heishman, the General Board's mission coordinators in the DR; Jeff Boshart, the board's economic development staff in the DR; and Keeney were at the meeting.

Haiti was recently ravaged by Hurricane Jeanne, with 200,000 people homeless and more than 2,600 killed or missing, according to Church World Service. Political instability and unrest continue. In spite of these hardships and what looks like bad timing to some, Haitian leaders are eager to move forward with the mission to their homeland, and see this action by the US church reflecting God at work in the midst of struggles, reported Keeney. Merisier observed during the meetings, "God is always thinking of His children."

Haitian leaders called St. Fleur to coordinate and guide the mission, based on his long years of experience in the Church of the Brethren. St. Fleur has not only been successful in his own congregation, but has been central in the formation of a new Haitian congregation at Orlando, Fla., Keeney said. St. Fleur also has been nurturing a new fellowship in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, giving leadership to the new effort from Miami.

Several Haitian leaders had reported eagerness from friends and family in Haiti about the coming of a new church planting effort, which prompted considerable discussion, Keeney said. St. Fleur emphasized the need to build a solid foundation. The approach of the mission work will be grassroots evangelism and church planting rather than inviting in existing congregations that have formed another denominationalidentity. In response to the question of how others can help at this early stage, St. Fleur responded, "What is needed most right now is prayer."

Source: 12/17/2004 Newsline
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