A Church Can Serve Its Community?

At the end of a dusty road only a few miles from the even more dusty border with the Dominican Republic lies the community of Latranbley.  With the support of the Reformed Church of America (RCA), our partner, the Ministry for Christian Development (MCD), has been training a group of about sixty church leaders.  The training is primarily for deacons focused on practical ways the church can reach out to the needy in the community.  Recently, Zach visited the training with a representative from the RCA to talk with the participants.  What they said time and time again was how much they appreciated learning that a church could serve its community with its own resources.  This idea is counter-intuitive in Haiti since  for the most part churches only serve the spiritual needs  of communities.  Secondly, Haitian Protestant churches do not have a long history of community service.  Traditionally service is left to charitable organizations which channel the assistance of the international aid community.  Because of the training, these participants are convinced that their churches can provide concrete manifestations of God’s love in their communities with the resources available to them.  In Haiti, this is a radical declaration of trust in Christ and his provisions!

Zach congratulates a participant on her progress in the MCD training program.

Bumpy Road Ahead

Who will win an election in Haiti?  Candidates seem to believe that it will be the one who covers the most square-footage with campaign posters.

After living in Haiti ten years, we are beginning to have a general idea about what to expect.  This fall, the signs are saying,  “Bumpy road ahead.”  In Haiti, elections come with demonstrations, vote rigging, and increased instability.  Haiti is scheduled to have four elections this fall, the first elections since the beginning of 2011.  With every single public office-holder, from the President to the town constable up for election, there are plenty of chances for things to get prickly.  In addition to the stress and difficulty of elections, there is also the light-hearted side.  We appreciate how transparent some Haitian politicians are in their efforts to win votes.  Instead of a political platform and big promises, one candidate simply bases his campaign on his passionate love for the Miami Dolphins (professional football team) and plantains (a starchy banana-like food common in the Caribbean).  Please pray for transparency, peace, and especially security during this fall’s elections.

Starting the Engine

If you’ve ever left your car in the airport parking lot for several cold weeks in winter, you know that it can be difficult to start again.  After several false starts, it seems that the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti (CRCH) is ready to function again as a denomination after a year of conflict and six months of closure.  The parties centrally involved in the conflict have resigned or been removed.  The denomination has chosen a provisional committee to provide management and leadership. Also, we have secured the services of an auditing firm to get to the bottom of some money management issues in the denomination that appeared during the conflict.  What does this mean?  Beginning in October, the CRCH will restart church construction, women’s ministry, and theological training.  Pray that God would give the leaders of the CRCH wisdom and perseverance to restart ministries that have been dormant for many months!