ISSUE NO. 17 AUGUST, 2012 The Newsletter of Light and Life Evangelical Ministries, Inc. Our Mission: Support churches in northern Haiti by helping Haitian pastors and evangelists win souls to Christ and minister God s word to them. Two Churches Added to the Ministry At the annual meeting of the Ministry s Board of Directors, the board voted to add two additional churches to our Ministry s support in the board voted to also supply funds to Pastor Renel to build a more permanent roof for his brush-arbor church. Haiti. Pending some needed coordination and Pastor Parisien Saintilbert acceptances, these two churches will be added on a probationary basis for the period of one year beginning in October, in accordance with the written procedures in effect for adding new churches. Pastor Renel Jacques The first of these churches is pastored by Pastor Renel in Ceciline, a rural area also near Limonade, but in the opposite direction from that of our Bas-Fossé church. Pastor Renel started a brush-arbor church there several years before joining our mission staff. He is currently the The second church voted to be added to the ministry is located in Savanne Carre, a village 17 miles east of Limonade, about 25 miles from Haiti s border with the Domincan Republic. This is in Haiti s high plains area where rainfall is very low. It is not far from the new Northern Industrial Park in Caracol, Haiti. A Korean textile company, Sae-A, has built a $70 million factory at this park and will soon start production of textiles. This factory will eventually provide up to 20,000 jobs in this depressed area, and a large growth in population in nearby communities is anticipated. principal of our Bas-Fossé school. About a year ago, Pastor Renel began seminary studies, using part of his salary as principal to pay for tuition and books. He feels called by God to start a church, and his heart s desire is to be a pastor. His position as principal will be filled by a well-qualified teacher already at Bas-Fossé. A recent storm did extensive damage to Pastor Renel s brush arbor (see photo above), and Pastor Parisien Saintilbert & Family Pastor Parisien left a high-paying job (by Haitian standards) as a teacher in Cap-Haitien, and moved to Savanne Carre to pastor this church. He needs financial support. His salary now consists only of one-half the monthly donations from his church s congregation, about $10 U. S. On this amount he has been supporting his wife and 6- year old daughter, augmented by a small income from a market stall his wife operates.
LifeLines Page 2 August, 2012 Cap-Haitien Church Dedicated On Sunday, July 29, Ministry President Gerry Molitor dedicated the recently completed church building for our urban congregation in Cap- Haitien. This was the first use of the church, in accordance with the Haitian culture that requires dedication before use. The day began with gathering of the congregation at 6:00 a. m. for Sunday school, followed by a regular church service with enthusiastic singing and praising God for providing the new facility. At 8:30 a. m. the dedication service began with special music and a message by Pastor Bastien recounting his calling to this church. President Molitor s dedication message compared the building of the building with the building of Solomon s temple as described in II Chronicles. At 11:20 a. m., the five-hour service was completed. The church is planning a twoweek celebration and revival to reach out to people in the neighborhood. Vacation Bible Schools Taught by New Frontiers Youth Group Sixteen youth from New Frontiers in VBS sessions at our three churches About 60 Dowelltown, TN, taught Vacation Bible Schools in children, 20 or so from each church, accepted all three of the Ministry s churches in late July. The Christ through the New Frontiers teaching. teaching gave children the highlights of teaching from the Bible, from creation through Old Testament history, and finally an emphasis on the gospel. Their teaching was reinforced by games. Over 250 children, ages 5 through 14, attended the While the children were attending their VBS classes, Mary Jane Miller and Susan Brannon were bringing messages to adults on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the voodoo and witch doctors which are so feared in the Haitian culture.
LifeLines Page 3 August, 2012 Ministry News from our National Director in Haiti Compiled from the monthly reports of Rev. Claude Saintil I am glad to submit this report to all of you who wholeheartedly support this ministry as God s tool to seek those who are lost and bring them into His Kingdom. We have accomplished much in just a and used suits, shoes, ties, socks, and rings were provided as well as money for food and drink. Bas-Fossé Parish The weekly activities have taken place according to a similar schedule to the Cap-Haitien church. Our literacy school is going very well, but short time. The new Cap-Haitien church is a is now in vacation. The regular [elementary] visible proof that our Lord is with us. We give thanks to those who contribute to help our church people have Bibles and song books school will need a new teacher for 4 th grade. Three of the 12 marriage candidates got married on July 20 th. Among the rest, two will be at hand. Through the work teams who gladly married in September, and the rest by December. come we do progressively go forward. My prayer for this year is to have more teams to train our spiritual leaders and evangelism. Through a permanent evangelism effort many voodoo sites The needs in this parish are: a new latrine door [the door has been stolen for the third time], a barbed-wire fence to keep animals from the school yard, and a shelter for the cooks who prepare the are forsaken and Satan has been cast out. Many school lunches. The roof structure of the church voodoo people come to know and accept Christ as their Lord and Personal Savior. The New Frontiers Mission Team and our precious sisters Mary Jane and Suki made their second visit to Haiti to teach in our churches. Many of our adults and school children had the Word of God engrafted in their souls. Now let us see what has taken place in our three parishes these past three months. Cap-Haitien Parish The weekly activities of this church are the same according to the schedule in all three churches: Bible studies, house-to-house and public evangelism, member visitation, prayer, leader training, and a class for the unmarried couples. The board, through Gerry, the president, has just dedicated the Cap-Haitien church to the Lord. It was a beautiful event. The church people were excited to be offered such a nice place to worship. There are still more needs, such as a needs repair because of water damage. La Suisse Parish Weekly church activities are as they are at the other parishes, and have taken place according to the schedule. The wedding ceremony for six of the marriage candidates was held at La Suisse because the Cap-Haitien church was not dedicated yet, and space was needed. Only one of the 11 marriage candidates from La Suisse was married on July 20 th, but three more will be married in September, and the rest by December. There is a need for a barbed wire fence at La Suisse and some fans in the church. It is really hot and impossible to worship in the summer season. Many times the people take the pews outside and have Bible studies under the trees. Thank you I would like to say thanks for all of you who made my stay in the U. S. [in early August] the latrine, a fence around the property, a pulpit, 20 most wonderful time. Thanks for all the wedding more pews and a [water] well. Two of the 12 marriage candidates just got wonderfully married on July 20 th. The rest of them will be married before December of this year. New dresses, suits, shoes, meals, laptops, etc., and especially our times together. I will never forget these wonderful days with my precious friends in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas. To God be all the glory!
LifeLines Page 4 August, 2012 The First Six Weddings Held The May issue of LifeLines reported on the approximately 30 couples in our churches that were living together, but unmarried. The Ministry embarked on a program to educate these couples, with Rev. Saintil, Pastor Pierre, and Pastor Bastien teaching them from Biblical passages that deal with marriage. On July 20, 2012, six couples responded to this teaching and were married at the La Suisse church. The church was decorated with colorful curtains, ornate paper decorations, and, from somewhere, beautiful quilts for the floor in front of the altar. Three couples from Bas-Fossé, two couples from Cap-Haitien, and one couple from La Suisse were married in ceremonies officiated by the three pastors. The oldest of the couples, from the Bas-Fossé church, had been living together, unmarried, for 40 years! Brides were dressed in beautiful wedding gowns, and grooms in black, double-breasted suits. Wedding bands were exchanged as part of each ceremony. Following the weddings, the couples and assembled guests were fed a meal of rice and beans and cold drinks. Rev. Saintil reports that the people loved it, and it stimulated much interest among the remaining couples to tie the knot. The next ceremony for a group of five couples is scheduled for September. Outside the church Inside the church Some of the assembled guests One of the beautiful brides
LifeLines Page 5 August, 2012 Highlights from the Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the ministry met August 14 & 15, 2012, in Readyville, TN. Three of the five directors on the Board attended, in addition to our National Director in Haiti, Rev. Claude Saintil. With the completion of the construction of the Cap-Haitien church building this past year, the Board s consensus was to put a moratorium on any new significant construction projects. For several smaller building-improvement projects identified as needed in Haiti, the Ministry will supply materials, and ask the local churches to supply the labor to complete the project. In lieu of building buildings, the Board wants the Ministry s focus this year to be on evangelism, Bible teaching, and support of more Godly pastors who are in need. The Board took a large step of faith by increasing the monthly budget for the 3. Increase all teachers salaries by about 20%, from $34 per month to $41 per month. 4. Increase the travel allowance for the National Director by $40 per month to compensate for the higher cost of gasoline in Haiti. The Board discussed increasing the feeding days at our elementary schools, but coming year by about $350. To meet our considered adding two new churches the budget, an increase in income of $200 per month will be needed. Your prayers for this increase would be greatly appreciated. The monthly increases were principally in the following areas: 1. Add salaries for pastors of the two new churches added to the Ministry (see story, page 1 of this newsletter). 2. Add salaries for a new teacher at each of the Ministry s two rural Christian schools. higher priority for our limited resources. Two high priority actions agreed to by the Board were to actively seek an Executive Director (missionary) to lead the Ministry in the U. S., and a qualified (English-speaking), Assistant National Director in Haiti to relieve Rev. Saintil of some of his many responsibilities. The growth of the Ministry is already taxing the management resources both here and in Haiti, and the work load promises to be even greater this year. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Contribution Form Light and Life Evangelical Ministries, Inc. Donation amount* Designated for Circle One $ Use where needed most one time / monthly $ one time / monthly Name: Telephone: Address: E-Mail: *All donations are tax deductible. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation per IRS regulations. Please cut out this form and mail to the address shown on page 6 of this newsletter.
Praise... 1. For the many Haitian men, women and children who continue to accept Christ through our ministry. 2. For the dedication of the completed construction of the Cap-Haitien church building, and the new attendees it is attracting. 3. For the new president in Haiti who continues to bring hope for a change from the way previous administrations have governed the country. 4. For the new industrial park to open in Cap-Haitien in early 2012 which holds promise for jobs for many people in northern Haiti. 5. For the many unmarried couples who have chosen to obey God s Word and unite in a Christian wedding. Please Pray 1. For the victory against Satanism, voodooism and demonic beliefs in Haiti, and for witch doctors to come to Christ. 2. For an increase in the monthly support needed to fund our expanding ministry in northern Haiti. 3. For the planning and implementation of an effective medical ministry; especially for God s leading some general practitioners and nurses to meet this great need. 4. For funds to provide academic scholarships for bright and promising young people in our churches, particularly those who want to go into fulltime Christian ministry. 6. For the funds needed to build the ministries of our two additional churches. Light and Life Evangelical Ministries, Inc. 351 Joy Lane Readyville, TN 37149 Web Site: www.haitilightandlife.org Phone: 615-563-8525 Fax: 615-563-8526 E-Mail: Molitor@dtccom.net