“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5″

Our involvement in Haiti has as its foundation the desire to deepen our understanding of the character of Christ and learn how we are to be used as His messengers. Our work is to demonstrate the servant heart of Christ through service to and entering into relationships with the Haitian people. By actively engaging in incarnate (compassion based) ministries that provide care for individuals, assist in meeting material needs and by supporting ongoing evangelical activities in Haiti, we are creating a fellowship between two bodies of believers. This fellowship has the potential to broaden each groups understanding of the other and expand the understanding of what it means to be part of the body of Christ and therefore further His kingdom…

What this might look like in our lives and the lives of our Haitian brothers and sisters:

For the Cite Soleil family of churches and the North Haiti Mission Ministry in Haiti:

• Ongoing prayer for Blacknall Presbyterian Church
• Operating a Health Clinic to incarnate Jesus’ concern for neighbors
• Planting churches
• Raising up and developing indigenous community and church leadership
• Communicating with Blacknall highlights and needs of the church, clinic, leadership, and community
• Offering hospitality to Blacknallians
• Broadening network of contact relationships in addition to Leon

For Blacknall In Durham:

• Ongoing prayer for Cite Soleil and family churches and North Haiti Mission church and clinic
• Offering hospitality to Pastor Leon and others from the church
• Resourcing the Health Clinics
• Supporting the micro-economy of the church with mission teams to Haiti
• Supporting the development, training, and staffing of indigenous church and community leadership toward that day when the Haitian church has deeper financial resources
• Identifying, confessing, and repenting of the sin of cultural idolatry* through exposure to Jesus’ ministry in another culture
• Transforming our patterns of living, consuming, and worshipping
• Stimulating active and/or hands-on interest in worldwide Christian ministry, both cross-cultural and indigenous
• Broadening network of contact and leadership relationships among Blacknall Church folk of this partnership

* Cultural idolatry has to do with too closely aligning our message of the Kingdom of God with our own particular cultural values as Americans. For example, our wealth can too easily seem like God’s primary avenue of “blessing” until we encounter faithful, joyful, worshipful, poor, yet blessed people in Haiti. Then we begin to see that Jesus is bigger than our money.

Opportunities for involvement

Blacknall Haiti Ministries Committee

All are welcome to join regardless of whether you have traveled to Haiti or not. We need lots of different kinds of people to support and operate this ministry. See section below on the HMC for meeting times. Contact Shelia Rittgers, chair if interested.

Cite Soleil Christian Church Medical Clinic

The medical clinic is an evangelical instrument of the church as well as an incarnate ministry opportunity for service. Thousands of Haitians rely on the clinic staff and the US teams for their only means of access to health care and education. Blacknall will commit to staffing the clinic one time per year through the annual mission team.

Child Sponsorship through Haiti Outreach Ministries

Child sponsorship through Haiti Outreach Ministries is available. These sponsorships directly provide education for children who would not otherwise be able to attend school. they are provided a Christian education and two meals per day through the HOM school system.

Hosting Pastor Leon

It is important to nurture the connection between the local congregation and the Haitian church. We propose that Pastor Leon Dorleans speak at yearly at our Sunday services. In addition to financing his travel and lodging while here, an honorarium will be requested. Church members will be recruited to host him.

Annual Haiti Mission trip

The opportunity to serve the Lord side by side with our Haitian brothers and sisters in Haiti. Our trip is based on partnering with our friends there to meet needs that they have identified and to allow us to experience the difficulties that the people of Haiti experience each and every day as a means to further obedience to God in our lives as we serve Him here. (See the Haiti Trip site for more info.)

Awareness and integration

It is vital to integrate this ministry into our church life. Watch the Outpost and Church Newsletter for highlights of what is going on in Haiti/the life of the churches or with one of the students Blacknall sponsors and how you can be involved. Pastor Leon and representatives from HOM come to Blacknall annually to allow those at Blacknall to come to know personally our partners at HOM and to promote the child sponsorship program through Pastor Leon’s sponsoring agency (Haiti Outreach Ministries). Families are encouraged to eat a simple meal each week (for example beans and rice) together and consider the poor of the world as they eat.

Prayer

Prayer for Pastor Leon, HOM, the churches and school as well as North Haiti Mission can be included both in corporate worship prayer and in your personal prayer life. We have prayer reminder cards available. Consider joining the monthly prayer time for the missionaries as they prayer for Haiti and the other missionaries Blacknall support. As specific needs come up, the HMC will organize specific prayers times (prayer vigil, prayer request lists etc)

Ministry Partners

In order to accomplish these goals and to work with others in the sharing of God’s message we suggest that Blacknall partner with the following agreeing to diligently pray for these institutions and for the work in Haiti. These include:

Haiti Outreach Ministries

U.S. sponsoring institution of Pastor Dorleans work, Cite Soleil Christian Church, church elders, sister churches and Church school

Haitian ministry partners: Leon and Jacky Dorleans, Cite Soleil Haiti

US Contacts-Bill Glass, David Armistead-Board of Directors
Linda Glass child sponsorship director
haitioutreachministries.org

Luke’s Mission

Blacknall sponsored medical student Romel Dorsaint in his 6th year of medical school. Scheduled to graduate 2009

Contact-April Perry, Board of Directors, Durham, North Carolina
lukesmission.net

North Haiti Mission

Pastor Verdieu Laroche, chairman
Clint Goddard, Public relations
http://www.northhaitimission.org