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Haitian Methodists consider pastoral leadership during crises

 


Haitian Methodists consider pastoral leadership during crises

LINK: Click to open full size version of image
A UMNS photo by the Rev. Paul Doherty

College Model, a United Methodist school in downtown Cap Haitien, serves 674 children, where they receive an education and a full meal each day.
June 28, 2004     

By Keith Rae*

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (UMNS) -- A well-known proverb in Haiti says that “behind every mountain there is another mountain,” and behind every crisis in that Caribbean nation there seems to be another crisis: civil strife, environmental catastrophe and intense poverty.

Haitian Methodist clergy and key lay leaders met in Port-au-Prince in mid-June to consider recent events and to sharpen their skills in dealing with the aftermath of a series of recent crises: the overthrow of the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, occupation by troops from the United States and floods that took the lives of more than 2,000 people along the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The Methodist Church of Haiti organized the event, “Pastoral Leadership in Times of Crises,” with assistance from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
 
A team of Haitian psychologists and specialists in crisis management – Rosny Desroches, Hubert Morquette, Marjorie Michele and Lunise Cerin -- led the group of 15 in two days of intense pastoral education. Also taking part were the Rev. Raphael Dessieu, president of the Haitian church, and the Rev. R. Randy Day, the board’s chief executive.

“While we found the Methodist pastors to be hopeful and positive about the future,” Day said after the workshop, “they are living and working in a country exhausted by political turmoil, economic crises, grinding poverty, ongoing violence and the recent deadly flood. Weeks after the floods, doctors and others are working hard to prevent and control outbreaks of malaria, dengue, diarrhea and scabies.”

Desroches stressed that times of crises can become times for change and development—including changes of attitude, analysis, means of adaptation, social negotiations and consensus building.

A lack of resources upon which to build a viable economy is a basic crisis in Haiti. Desroches said an increasing population and decreasing production for local consumption perpetuate a chronic economic crisis. This is only partially offset by the almost one billion dollars that Haitians living abroad send home each year.

Environmental factors contribute to the problems, he added. Deforestation—primarily, cutting trees for fuel—has resulted in loss of topsoil. It once took five days of constant rain to produce flooding. A single day of rain now can cause widespread damage.

LINK: Click to open full size version of image
UMNS photo by the Rev. David Morton

This Haitian child benefits from the Haiti Hot Lunch Program, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
Desroches also pointed to a near-crisis in spiritual and moral values and urged the church to offer educational programs leading to a more civil society.

The Methodist Church in Haiti is the fastest growing district of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and Americas. It has 148 congregations, mostly rural, scattered across the island. Many of those congregations have schools, which also serve as sites of hot lunch programs, financed in large part by United Methodist churches.

Morquette helped the pastors to focus on practical steps for the church to take to respond to crises. Community organizing can prepare the way for crises response plans, he said. Specific efforts might include simple alarm and evacuation systems and building shelters.
 
A suggestion to reduce deforestation by shifting from wood to propane gas for cooking generated high interest but also raised challenges. Propane is not easy to find in Haiti, is more expensive than charcoal and has to be properly stored.

Other proposals for church action to ward off crises included mobilizing people, advocating for justice, work to eradicate public corruption and broad-based education.

United Methodists can support general programs and relief appeals for Haiti as well as sponsor mission volunteer teams and individuals. The Advance for Christ and His Church, the denomination’s second-mile giving program, has 15 Haiti-related projects. Thy can be reviewed online by performing a search for the country of “Haiti” at http://gbgm-umc.org/advproj/AdvProj_Search.cfm.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is seeking funds for relief efforts related to the recent flood. Contributions for “Advance #418325, Haiti Civil Emergency” may be placed in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115; or by calling 800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.

*Keith Rae, who participated in the Haiti event, is executive secretary of church development and renewal for the Board of Global Ministries’ evangelization and church growth unit.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

 

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