Women’s Society Robe of Achievement

The deadline for Robe of Achievement nominations is today, March 31, 2010.
If you have a woman that you would like to nominate, please email your nomination resume to Karen Payne at karen.payne1127@gmail.com or apply online at www.sdbwomen.org.
Please consider a woman in your church who meets the following criteria for nomination:

* Was/is active as a volunteer in some phase of denominational effort
* Has shown evidence of special service with her family and/or community
* Must be a committed Christian
* Must be an active member of a local Seventh Day Baptist Church

A complete resume must be submitted containing a life history, including her achievements and activities. Without a resume in hand, the committee cannot make a competent choice among many nominees. If an individual has been nominated before, and you still want that person considered, please resubmit that name as well as the updated resume.

2010 SCSC teams placed

The SCSC Committee is happy to announce the placement of this year’s team members (13 ‘vets’ and 4 rookies) for the 2010 Summer Christian Service Corps. Training will be at Camp Wakonda in Milton, Wis., starting June 16. The six projects will run through the week of Conference in late July.

List includes Project Site (and Project Director)
With team members (and home church)
•Battle Creek, MI
(Samantha Fick, PD):
Jonathan Lawson (Colton), Jessica Patterson (Salemville), Lauren Telford (Texarkana)
•Colton, CA
(Sandy Lawson, PD):
Elizabeth Camenga (Milton), Dorothy Noel (Alfred Station), Jasmine Patterson (Salemville)
•Milton, WI
(Kecia Thompsongordon, PD):
Katie Brown (Texarkana), Katrina Goodrich (North Loup), David Pottinger (Southeast Atlanta).
•New Auburn, WI
(Wayne North, PD):
Daniel Lovelace (Southeast Atlanta), Christopher Zema (Berlin).
•Seattle, WA
(Ruth Burdick, PD):
Amanda Brown (Texarkana), Micayla Neher (Dodge Center), Jonathan Pradetto (Riverside).
•West Palm Beach, FL
(Jennifer Dixon, PD):
Jackson Butler (Milton), Sarah Lawton (Pataskala), Lena Parrish (New Auburn).

SCSC Training Staff:
Pastor Steve Osborn, Training Director
Helen Goodrich, Pastor Andrew Camenga, Kris North, Pastor Kory Geske

For more information about SCSC, go to the SDB Women's Board website.

T.I.M.E. begins in Brazil

The Brazilian T.I.M.E Program (Training In Ministry by Extension) began successfully on February 13 and 14 at a seminar in Porto União, Santa Catarina.

This first meeting introduced the students to the program's overall methodology and schedule. Pastor Jonas Sommer, working full-time on this project as principal of the Seventh Day Baptist Biblical Institute in Brazil, began by witnessing about his response to God’s call into the ministry. He also shared his current faith adventure.


For Jonas’ complete report with more pictures, go to the SDB World Federation website.

April SR on-line

The April 2010 Sabbath Recorder has hit the newsstands—electronically, that is.

This month’s features address the topic of “Blended Families.” Marriage and family counselor Perry Cain promotes emotional safety in relationships, Pastor John Pethtel leads a study on Joseph’s dysfunctional family, and church member Mike Graves describes life with four grandkids in the house.

In local news, both the Little Rock church and Jersey Oaks Camp mark their 50th anniversary, and the Berlin, N.Y., church sanctuary undergoes an extreme makeover.

Planning for Conference? More details are included plus the list of this year’s Host Committee. Click here for “news for and about Seventh Day Baptists”!

Pre-Con with King Jesus!

Housed on the campus of Evangel College in Springfield, MO, the 2010 Young Adult PreCon will be a great opportunity to worship God, to pray with friends from across the continent, to spend time with people you've never met, to relax from a summer of hard work, and to ponder some of what God reveals about himself.

Pastor John Pethtel is directing, and Pastor Dave Stall, Jen Stall, and Nick Kersten will provide additional leadership during the event. At least one more encouraging person will be added to the staff.

The focus of the PreCon will be on King Jesus! and the time of discussion will work to ask and answer the question, "Why is Jesus King?" and then to explore the implications of Jesus as King.

Are you ready to attend? Registration information will be available in the May Sabbath Recorder.

New exec for BH&H Society

Seventh Day Baptists have worked closely with the Baptist History and Heritage Society, presenting papers at their annual gatherings. Recent presenters have included Doug Clarke, Nick Kersten, and Pat Bancroft. The Associated Baptist Press ran this story about the Society's new executive director.


Bruce Gourley, a historian and online editor of Baptists Today, has been named executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, effective April 1.

He succeeds Charles Deweese, the first executive director of the society that has operated independently since a restructuring of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1995, who retired last October.

The society, which relies on contributions and proceeds from the sale of resources for revenue, has struggled financially since early in 2009. Society president Mike Williams said while finances are improved -- thanks largely to fund-raising by interim leader Walter Shurden -- Gourley will work part time from his home near Bozeman, Mont., and make trips to Atlanta, where the society's offices are located, when needed.

"He is an accomplished writer and Baptist historian," Williams said of Gourley. "He also has an entrepreneurial spirit and the technological skills to lead the society in the 21st century. He shows a willingness to be a fund-raiser and to network with Baptists who can help us financially. I feel confident that Bruce has many of the skills that we need to lead us and that he will work hard to learn the other skills that he needs."

Gourley, former associate director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies, may be better known in broader Baptist life as an Internet entrepreneur who created and owns the discussion forums at BaptistLife.com. He said he was honored by his selection and looking forward to his new job.

"As an independent organization devoted to preserving and retelling the four-centuries-old Baptist story against a global backdrop, the Baptist History and Heritage Society occupies a unique and important place in Baptist life," he said. "By focusing on the collective wisdom of our common past as Baptists, the society assists in interpreting Baptist life today and preparing for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow."

Gourley, a graduate of Mercer University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in history from Auburn University, is the author of three books.

The Latest from Ad Hoc 2

An e-mail update from Susie Fox:

Ad Hoc Committee Work Continues

On some quiet Saturday evenings, the five members of the ad hoc committee for denominational restructuring have met at the SDB Center in Janesville – in October, December, and again in March. The committee continues to move forward, with many thanks to all who participated in the survey used to collect input from local churches, Board and Agency officers, and General Council members during the end of 2009. The candid feedback received has been very useful.

The committee’s goal is to create a denominational structure that can efficiently and transparently serve the churches in local ministry as well as accomplishing those things beyond the capacity of the local church. At no point has the committee contemplated any proposal that would in any way affect the independence of local Seventh Day Baptist congregations.

The ad hoc committee has defined the following Guiding Principles as a basis for its evaluation and future recommendations:

• We believe the purpose of the denomination boards, agencies, & executives is to provide value and assistance to the local churches.
• Meeting the needs of the local church should drive the actions of the denomination – not the other way around.
• Involvement of local church members should be encouraged and increased.
• We should be good stewards of God given resources.
• Effective, responsible leadership serving churches and pastors should be promoted.
• A new structure should emphasize accountability and transparency.
• Changes will be invited and encouraged, but not forced.

The members of the committee appointed by General Council in August are: Susie Fox (Pataskala, OH), Don Graffius (Salemville, PA), Neil Murphy (New York City, NY), Ron Ochs (Milton, WI), and Jim Skaggs (Madison, WI). We solicit your input and prayers as we continue working together to evaluate the current structure and report back at the General Conference Sessions in Springfield, Missouri in July 2010.

(NOTE: You can contact the ad hoc committee at adhocsdb@gmail.com or SDB Ad Hoc Committee, 1722 Taylor Station Road, Blacklick, OH 43004.)

Haitian Leaders Tell Their Story

March 18, 2010 - Eron Henry - BWA Associate Director of Communications

Washington, DC (BWA) -- Two Baptist leaders from Haiti visited the offices of the Baptist World Alliance and told the story of the devastating earthquake that struck their country on January 12.

Eugene Gedeon, vice president of the Baptist Convention of Haiti (BCH), and Edrice Romelus, superintend for evangelism and former general secretary for Baptist Haiti Mission (BHM), were part of a roundtable meeting called by Baptist World Aid to work out details of assistance that BWAid and Baptists, mainly in North America, will provide to the Caribbean country.

"People are trying to lead a normal life, but they do not have homes," said Gedeon in an interview following the conclusion of the roundtable meeting. "People are living under tents. People are sad. I can see the sadness in their faces," said the pastor.

Romelus recounted the events of the first few days in the interview. "I was in my office when the earthquake struck. I saw the building swaying. Things started falling, such as the printer. Other employees inside the building fled outside," he recounted.

"I did not know how grave the earthquake was," Romelus continued. "We have a hospital on the same compound as our headquarters, and vehicles started arriving with the injured. In a short time, the hospital was filled up. There was no place to put people. People came from all over. We even put them in the dining room of the hospital. I did not know that this thing was so big."

The next day, Romelus, whose offices are in an area close to Port-au-Prince, attempted to go downtown to the shattered city. "We had to stop, we could not continue. Houses had fallen. People were in the streets suffering. We felt lots of emotions. We saw a four year old boy and a nine year old girl wandering. We did not know what to do. We took them to the hospital, even though it was already full."

Romelus and his team made another trip into the beleaguered capital a few days later where "We saw the scale of the destruction. There were huge amounts of dead people lying around, even at the university and the state house," Romelus recalled. "There was a foul smell. Things got worse day by day."

Gedeon, whose church headquarters are close to Cap-Haïtien, the second largest city in Haiti, did not feel much of the quake. Cap-Haïtien is approximately 250 kilometers or 155 miles from Port-au-Prince. But Baptists belonging to the BCH who live in or close to Port-au-Prince, suffered badly. Two pastors, Biene Lamerique and Venel Deciain, died in the temblor. One pastor lost four children, another lost three, yet another lost two, and still another lost one child. At least 80 members belonging to the BHM died, and at least 29 for the BCH.

It is still not ascertained how many churches got damaged or were destroyed, as some are difficult to reach. The BHM had accounted for about eight churches that were destroyed and approximately 24 damaged. Many Baptists lost homes and many schools experienced destruction.

Despite the level of suffering and the extent of the disaster, Gedeon and Romelus believe that the church has been handed an opportunity. "Churches are almost full of people," said Romelus. "Churches in other provinces have received new members who have left the capital." Gedeon stated that "churches are encouraging people. This earthquake is an opportunity for the churches. Witch doctors have come to Christ."

It is also an opportunity for the country to join in solidarity and rebuild a solid infrastructure, both Baptist leaders contend. Proper roads, good electricity systems, sound universities, strong public structures, and the enforcement of building codes - all these can now be put in place during the rebuilding process, Romelus and Gedeon agreed.

But the need remains great. Hospitals are still full. There is an urgent need to reopen schools and for children to return to school. The two Baptist groups are offering scholarships to children so that they may resume their education.

Homes need to be rebuilt. Both Baptists leaders inform the BWA that a good, solid structure for a house can be built for US$3,000. BWAid, the relief and development arm of the BWA has pledged to provide 10 houses that are earthquake and hurricane resistant. BWAid will also contribute to constructing a multipurpose building in Port-au-Prince that can be used for a school, an orphanage, and a chapel. Ar center is to be secured that can be used for multiple purposes, such as providing office space for Baptist groups along with living quarters.

In the meantime, relief efforts continue as providing food, clean water, sanitation and medical help remain a priority.

Biggest SDB Loser update

Peggy Chroniger of the Alfred Station, N.Y., SDB Church has been gathering weight-loss figures from our churches that are participating in the "Biggest SDB Loser" competition. The contest runs through the end of June, so those involved can still burn the calories and take off the pounds! And now that spring is coming--except in Wisconsin; SNOW this weekend--we can get outside and be more active.

Peggy lists the most current figures that she has received. The numbers show the percentage of weight loss for the church's group.

Alfred Station - 2.01%
Battle Creek - .06%
Boulder - 3.33%
Columbus - .20%
Dodge Center - 1.60%
Milton - 5.90%
New York City - 3.42%
Nortonville - 2.14%
Lost Creek - .08%
Toronto - 1.82%

Keep up the good work, everybody!!

White House Faith Council gives report

Opinion piece from David Gushee of the Associated Baptist Press (pictured).
Thanks to John Pethtel for the suggestion.

Last week the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships issued its report to the president, culminating a year of efforts in rethinking the relationship between faith groups and the federal government. Their report is a major contribution to our national life.

President George W. Bush established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the early days of his presidency. Its primary goal was to create a friendlier federal-government relationship to the thousands of faith-based community organizations addressing deeply entrenched social problems, especially in some of our nation’s most impoverished communities. Cynics suggested that its real goal was to build political relationships with valuable religious constituencies. Other critics were concerned that the entire initiative furthered a trend toward the weakening of federal social services and the romanticizing of privatization.

In my view, the idea that the federal government should make it easier for grassroots social-service organizations to receive federal dollars to do their common-good-advancing work is a good one -- at least from the government side. For decades both federal and state governments have subcontracted at least part of their social-service work to religious groups. But the working understanding of church-state boundary lines in relation to the receipt of these dollars for years was either sufficiently strict or sufficiently unclear that many religious non-profits stayed away from these funding possibilities altogether.

For the entire article, click here.

David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.

March Madness

Let's have some fun!

Do you think you know College Basketball? Well here is your chance to prove it.

We have set up a site on CBS that will allow 400 of us to compete with each other for supreme "madness".

Enter by clicking this link http://7db.mayhem.cbssports.com/e

Password: newport

One entry per person

Let your friends know about this.

First come first served.

Lotz to receive Human Rights Award

From the Baptist World Alliance in Washington, D.C.

Denton Lotz, former general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), will receive the BWA Human Rights Award during the Baptist World Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii, from July 28 to August 1.

Lotz, who was BWA general secretary from 1988-2007, led the international Baptist organization in some of its groundbreaking actions and decisions on racism, religious freedom, and other issues of human rights.

In 1992, Lotz helped to form a Special Commission on Baptists against Racism and Ethnic Conflict, in response to race-related riots in Los Angeles in the United States and racial and ethnic conflicts in other countries. The commission produced the Harare Declaration (adopted by the BWA General Council during its meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe) in 1993, where Baptists pledged to "expose and challenge the sin of racism."

Under Lotz's leadership the BWA planned an International Summit of Baptists against Racism in January 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia. Delegates from approximately 30 countries drafted and affirmed a statement declaring a "decade to promote racial justice," beginning in 2000, and urged BWA member bodies to promote efforts to eradicate racism and fight against ethnic conflict worldwide. The "Atlanta Covenant" called on Baptists to become "agents of reconciliation" and work for integrated worship, holistic evangelism, the elimination of unfair trade and protection of the rights of aboriginal and tribal peoples.

The former BWA leader also initiated or led human rights visits to several countries, and has met a number of world leaders to discuss issues of human rights in their respective nation, such as with former presidents Fidel Castro of Cuba, Daniel arap Moi of Kenya, and Lech Kaczynski of Poland.
Lotz often protested human rights abuses to the ambassadors of countries where such human rights were undermined, and made representations to the United Nations and various government officials on the behalf of oppressed peoples.

It was under Lotz's leadership that the BWA emphasized its observation of Human Rights Day in December of each year, as well as the inauguration of an annual Human Rights Award to a Baptist who has made significant contribution in advancing human rights in his or her life, work and ministry.

New Baptist hymnal released

From the Associated Baptist Press:

Bucking a trend in many churches to eschew four-part harmonies for praise choruses projected on a screen, a new hymnal released March 8 seeks to introduce both old favorites and lesser-known new compositions to a new generation of Baptist congregations.

"We were trying to create a hymnal for churches that use hymnals," said Stanley Roberts, a Mercer University professor and member of the editorial team that planned the Celebrating Grace Hymnal, "to provide a resource that our current generation and future generations could use for worship in the local church."

Tom McAfee, a Georgia layman who conceived of the idea for and oversaw development of the hymnal, said the new song book seeks to embrace a denominational identity broader than battle lines that divided Baptists in the United States in the latter decades of the 20th century.

"One of the things we did in the beginning was to intentionally be inclusive," said McAfee, chairman of a health-care company and member of First Baptist Church in Macon, Ga. "I think it's one of the things that make our hymnal unique."

Starting at the grassroots level, McAfee said, editors and board members sought input from individuals and churches affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, African-American Baptists, Canadian Baptists and the Southern Baptist Convention.

"If you had a Baptist badge, we wanted you to be involved," McAfee said. "We also wanted to incorporate some Methodist traditions, Presbyterian traditions. We wanted to be something that is, yes, Baptist, and is built by Baptists with Baptists in mind, but we also wanted to be able to bring in these other traditions so that others can use the book as well."

"It's not just a book for Cooperative Baptists or Southern Baptists or the other brands of Baptists," said McAfee, "We've got materials there that will meet the needs of a number of different denominations."

Mark Edwards, vice president of music and worship resources who oversaw the music side of the project, said Celebrating Grace was already in the works and unrelated to a new Baptist Hymnal that LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention released in 2008.

For the full story, click here.

SDBs will match funds for Haiti church

From Pastor John J. Pethtel:

The Seventh Day Baptist Disaster Relief Committee will match the first $2,500 in donations made towards the earthquake disaster relief in Haiti that is specifically designated for the help of the Haitian Seventh Day Baptist church.

Pastor Jean Lucas Julien and the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Croix des Bouquets (located about 15 miles east of Port-au-Prince) will need to rebuild the church and school that has a current enrollment of about 250 students up to the 6th grade.

Thank you for considering giving to this need.
You may send your gifts to:
SDB United Relief Fund
PO Box 1678
Janesville WI 53547

Rob Appel
Executive Director
USA & Canada

Pastor John Pethtel
Chair, SDB Disaster Relief

Landslides bury many in Uganda

From the Missionary Society’s Kirk Looper:

Greetings everyone. I am sending out this appeal to help Seventh Day Baptists and others in the country of Uganda, Africa. I received a message from the SDB General Secretary of Uganda, Nsubuga Daniel, in which he described the result of a landslide in the district of Bududa, Eastern Uganda.

The people affected in these areas live on the slopes of Mt. Elgon ranges. They are farmers who rely on livestock and crops located on these steep slopes. Deforestization due to the increasing population has resulted in the landslides during the recent heavy rains.

A landslide mingled with rocks and debris swept down slopes with houses, people, household property, livestock, etc and settled on top of a church, a health unit and a trading center at the bottom. This event happened on March 1, and affected nine villages. It is estimated that 3,000 people live in this area.

Death data:
They think that about 300 people are still buried under the mudslide/landslide and are feared dead. By noon on March 3, a total of 55 bodies have been recovered.

A total of 85 homes have been affected. Among the dead were 19 Christians who were carrying out an overnight prayer vigil. Four other Christians survived but are hospitalized, still unconscious. A government health center and two staff houses are buried under the slide. This included one midwife, a nursing assistant, many admitted patients, and an unknown number of primary school pupils who had taken refuge against heavy rains and impassable rivers.

An unknown number of injured survivors have been hospitalized at Bududa hospital and nearby health clinics for care. Ten students from Bukalasi Secondary School have gone missing. (Two bodies have been recovered from the school.)

Travel to the area has been hindered due to the damage or collapse of four bridges. Movement and communication is now a big problem.

The following is a list of the things needed by these people:
Shelter (tarpaulins) for erecting tents
Food, (e.g. corn flour and beans.)
Basic utensils (plates, cups jerrycans, etc.)
Water purifying chemicals
First aid kits and medicines
Blankets and bed sheets

Why the attention of Seventh Day Baptists?
The feeling is that our presence must be felt on the ground. If we cannot afford giving material things, let’s send people who will be there for the needy. They already have identified 12 willing volunteers and they are ready to be sent. At this point in time we need to serve as senders. We need immediate action and help so that the church can be represented in the rescue process and to provide temporary shelters and blankets for those people to keep warm during the night. Thank you for your rapid reaction and may God bless you richly for the help you send.

I would appreciate it if all of you could pray for those who have lost loved ones and friends. And, if the Spirit leads you to help, please send your donations to the SDB Missionary Society, 19 Hillside Ave, Ashaway, RI 02804.

Photograph: Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images

Graffius Ordained in Lincoln, NE

(l-r: Dr Pastor Paul Manual, John Pethtel, Steve Graffius,
Nick Kersten, Gordon Lawton, Steve Osborn and Rod Henry)

On Sabbath day, February 27, Steven Graffius, Pastor of the Living Word Seventh Day Baptist Fellowship, was ordained to the Ministry. The Council to examine him was held Friday evening and the service of ordination commenced at two-ish on Sabbath afternoon.

Delegates, friends and family were present from Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. (If I missed someone let me know)

Pastor Rod Henry, Thornton, CO, chaired the Ordination Preparation Committee and was elected Moderator for the Ordination Council. Nick Kersten was the Sabbath morning worship leader with Pastor Steve Graffius bringing the morning message, "The Gospel-Centered Life" taken from Romans 1:1-17. At the end of the service, Pastor Rod officiated at a dedication for the newborn child of Pastor Steve and Emily, Annabella Noelle.

(l-r: Grampa Charles, dad Steve. son Micah, Uncle Don and daughter Annabella)

The program for the ordination service is listed here:

Ordination Service

Worship in Song -- Steven Graffius, Garrett
Hope, Becky Schauer, Sydney Looper

Special Music - Deborah FitzRandolph Williams

Affirmation

Ordination Sermon - Rev. Gordon P. Lawton

Charge to the Candidate

Charge to the Church - Dr. Paul Manual

Consecrating Prayer - Rev. Gordon P. Lawton

Welcome to the Ministry - Rev. John J. Pethtel

Benediction - Pastor Chuck Graffius

The weekend was full, a blessing to all who attended and blessed. Rev. Steven Graffius is so thankful for all who took the time and made the effort to be in Lincoln for this special time.

(Emily and Steven Graffius)

SDB Migration Noted In New Book

Last year, the Historical Society received a request from S. Scott Rohrer, an independent scholar. Rohrer was seeking information about the migration of the Shrewsbury, NJ church to its current location in Salem, WV for inclusion in a volume about Protestant migrations. With the approval of the Salem church, transcribed copies of the Shrewsbury/Salem minutes were sent to Mr. Rohrer, along with other SDB history works. We wished Mr. Rohrer success on his project, and were anxious to hear how his book turned out.

The result of Rohrer's efforts is Wandering Souls, recently published by the University of North Carolina Press. The 328 page volume details religious migrations by several different protestant groups, including Pietists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Seventh Day Baptists. The migration of the Shrewsbury congregation to Salem is detailed in Chapter 6 of the new volume, compared with an earlier migration of a Congregationalist group. Rohrer details the difficult circumstances which led the SDB's in Shrewsbury to move, including the fallout of the Revolutionary War, economic difficulties and personality conflicts. In the end, Rohrer argues that all of these migrations were an extremely important part of American history, and that the Protestant convictions of all the migrating groups helped to form part of the heritage of the nation.

The book is available for purchase at the UNC Press website, listed for $39.95.

The Society takes the work of assisting scholars seriously, and we are given frequent opportunities to provide such assistance. Our collection provides unique resources into the group life of Seventh Day Baptists, and we are always eager to see scholars include our shared history in their writings!

On-line Lenten Devotional

Many churches in our area hold Wednesday evening services during the season of Lent. It is the time for Christians around the world to prepare their hearts to remember Christ's death, burial and resurrection.

Similar to what was offered during Advent, Journey to the Cross is an online devotional guide produced by the Passport organization, and jointly sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I invite you to check out and enjoy these moments of spiritual encouragement.

Pastor Andy Samuels trip to Haiti

Below is an update from Pastor Andy Samuels, Senior Pastor at the Miami SDB Church. Pastor Andy left on Monday, February 22nd and flew to the Dominican Republic and then by car arrived in Haiti. Many of you have contributed towards the recovery efforts in Haiti. The SDB Conference thanks you for your thoughts, prayers and gifts to the people of Haiti. We have sent over $10,000 to BWAid.

Now we have an update that can be specifically targeted with our efforts. Please read below whaer our help can help Seventh Day Baptists in Haiti.

Dear Brothers,

Thanks to the Lord, I got back safely today from my trip to Haiti. And what a sobering and thought-provoking trip it was! Thousands of people in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas are sleeping outside in tents, under a tarpaulin, or under the stars. Some of these tents and tarpaulins are placed in the streets causing some of those roadways to be closed off to vehicular traffic. Wherever there is an open space, it is almost certain that it has become or is going to become a Tent City, the latest form of "housing" development in Haiti.

Not only have people been displaced from their homes because of earthquake damage and loss, but there is no eagerness to occupy buildings, not to mention venturing anywhere above the first floor. There is tremendous fear in the psyche of the people. They have lived through a terribly traumatic experience and wonder if anything similar will recur.

Schools remain closed and the Government has mandated that they must not reopen until specifically told to do so by the authorities. Psychological counseling is one of the greatest needs right now. The people need coping skills.

On the part of the children, the boredom factor is a reality and it becomes very easy for them to gravitate into the wrong kinds of activities, out of a desire to occupy their time constructively. I must say that I saw an attitude where people genuinely seemed to want to lift their spirits. They appeared to be willing to keep their morale elevated, and the Christians did not seem to be shrouded in despair. Many believers recognize and appreciate the great evangelistic opportunity that is available since peoples' minds and hearts are attentive to spiritual matters at a time of crisis like this.

Food is a great need for many people as it was even before the earthquake. It is not easy to understand how to solve this problem on a long-term level, rather than simply giving handouts. Pastor Jean Lucas Julien and the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Croix des Bouquets, which is about 15 miles east of Port-au-Prince, are alive and well. They have had their share of the disaster but they remain faithful and hopeful. Pastor Julien operates a school up to the 6th. grade which has a current enrollment of about 250 students. The Church meets in one of the school buildings and that building was completely destroyed by the earthquake. Now they worship in the school yard. The other building of the modestly-situated premises suffered damage, but was not destroyed.

Pastor Julien's house also suffered some damage. He and his family are still sleeping outside and have no tents.Their immediate needs are for tents for his household, which is 9 people, and tents for the Church family, which has about 30 in need. The need for help with food is ongoing, and in the past our Church has provided supplies periodically for Pastor Julien to do a food distribution in the community. They also need help with the repair and rebuilding of the school buildings. The biggest and most costly need is for a Church building.

In December, 2003, the Miami Church raised some funds with the help of a donor who matched the funds. Those funds were specifically for the purpose of purchasing a plot of land for a Church building. That purchase was completed as I personally made a trip there to oversee the transaction. Pastor Julien had begun putting up a wall to surround the property. That partial wall has come down as a result of the earthquake. Whatever we can do to give them a start with a building project, will be greatly appreciated. Through some contacts made with the Team with which I went down to Haiti this week, I am exploring some additional avenues of funding and help with the building.

Thank you all for your interest.

Andy

Baptists: Pray for Chile!

From the Baptist World Alliance:

Washington, DC (BWA) -- Baptists around the world are being urged to pray for Chile after the South American country was hit by a massive earthquake early on February 27.

Raquel Contreras, president of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Chile and a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance, asked for prayer for all those affected by the 8.8 earthquake. Contreras, who is currently on travel in the United States, has confirmed that her family is safe but is making inquiries as to the state of Baptists in the aftermath of the quake.

BWA General Secretary Neville Callam said "Baptists around the world are being asked to pray for the people of Chile as they seek to recover from such a devastating earthquake. Let us stand by them during these trying times. In due course we will mobilize to come to their assistance."

Paul Motacute, director of Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the BWA, indicated that BWAid is monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide whatever assistance it can.

Donations may be made via the BWA website at www.bwanet.org or sent to:
Baptist World Aid
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
USA

For further information, email bwaid@bwanet.org.