{"id":203,"date":"2015-12-01T20:15:08","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T20:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/messenger\/?p=203"},"modified":"2018-09-18T20:37:57","modified_gmt":"2018-09-18T20:37:57","slug":"distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/","title":{"rendered":"Distinctly Haitian, distinctly Brethren"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n        <div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-203 carousel slide' data-interval='false'>\r\n          <div class='carousel-indicators'>\r\n            <li data-target='gallery-1' data-slide-to='0' class='active'><\/li>\r\n            <li data-target='gallery-1' data-slide-to='1'><\/li>\r\n            <li data-target='gallery-1' data-slide-to='2'><\/li>\r\n          <\/div>\r\n          <div class='carousel-inner'><div class='carousel-item active'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-des-freres-haitien-sanctuary-848x636.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n                <div class='carousel-caption d-none d-md-block'>\r\n                Eglise de Freres Sanctuary\r\n                <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/adults-singing\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/adults-singing.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/adults-singing.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/adults-singing-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/adults-singing-768x550.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/adults-singing-848x607.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/bible-reading\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/bible-reading.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/bible-reading.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/bible-reading-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/bible-reading-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/bible-reading-848x478.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/cafe-creole\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/cafe-creole.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/cafe-creole.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/cafe-creole-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/cafe-creole-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/cafe-creole-848x618.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/children-singing\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/children-singing.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/children-singing.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/children-singing-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/children-singing-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/children-singing-848x599.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/eglise-education-wing\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-education-wing.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-education-wing.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-education-wing-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-education-wing-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-education-wing-848x636.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/eglise-parking\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-parking.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-parking.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-parking-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-parking-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-parking-848x636.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/eglise-teaching\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-teaching.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-teaching.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-teaching-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-teaching-768x524.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/eglise-teaching-848x579.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/glise-des-frres-hatien-van-848x636.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/jean-3-16\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"634\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/jean-3-16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" 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srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ocean.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ocean-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ocean-768x486.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ocean-848x537.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/sunday-service\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/sunday-service.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/sunday-service.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/sunday-service-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/sunday-service-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/sunday-service-848x478.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/women-singing\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2312\" height=\"1644\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing.jpg 2312w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/women-singing-848x603.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2312px) 100vw, 2312px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/worship-leading\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/worship-leading.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/worship-leading.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/worship-leading-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/worship-leading-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/worship-leading-848x559.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div><div class='carousel-item'>\r\n            <div class='gallery-icon'>\r\n                <a href='https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/stories-from-the-cities\/distinctly-haitian-distinctly-brethren\/attachment\/youth-singing\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/youth-singing.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/youth-singing.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/youth-singing-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/youth-singing-768x504.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/youth-singing-848x557.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a>\r\n            <\/div><\/div>\r\n        <\/div><!-- end .carousel-inner -->\r\n        <a class='carousel-control-prev' href='#gallery-1' role='button' data-slide='prev'>\r\n          <span class='carousel-control-prev-icon' aria-hidden='true'><\/span>\r\n          <span class='sr-only'>Previous<\/span>\r\n        <\/a>\r\n        <a class='carousel-control-next' href='#gallery-1' role='button' data-slide='next'>\r\n          <span class='carousel-control-next-icon' aria-hidden='true'><\/span>\r\n          <span class='sr-only'>Next<\/span>\r\n        <\/a>\r\n        <\/div>\n\n<p>They came at first by boats, as refugees from Haiti. Those refugees are now a vital part of our denomination\u2014they\u2019ve planted new churches in both the US and Haiti. \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien (in English, Haitian Church of the Brethren\u2014phonetically: Egg-lease day Frayer Ay-sean) is a thriving congregation in Miami, Florida. Although most of the adults did not \u201cgrow up Brethren\u201d (as many US Brethren refer to their faith heritage), \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien is distinctly Brethren in faith, in practice, and in love.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-219\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-219\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ludovic-elizabeth-st-fleur.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ludovic-elizabeth-st-fleur.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/ludovic-elizabeth-st-fleur-272x300.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ludovic &amp; Elizabeth St. Fleur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The congregation welcomed me as family in August 2015, where I worshiped with, learned from, and interviewed many sisters and brothers. Pastor Ludovic St. Fleur and his wife, Elizabeth, hosted me in their home and blessed me with their fellowship and delicious Haitian food. They told me, \u201cFor three days, you are Haitian.\u201d As I listened to stories of the congregation\u2019s history and growth, I couldn\u2019t help but marvel at their willingness to both love hard and work hard for Christ\u2019s kingdom, and at the genuine affection and devotion that they have for Brethren beliefs and practices.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien is a church of sisters and brothers, where caring and supporting each other as family is key. Love pervades all of the church\u2019s teaching. They resolve to work through conflicts and to promote Christ\u2019s message of peacemaking as a core part of the gospel. Feetwashing at love feast is core to their church life, as is teaching the New Testament. What does it mean to be Brethren at \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien? Peace, love, and feetwashing.<\/p>\n<h2>Faithfulness bearing fruit<\/h2>\n<p>The story of \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien began with a crisis of international proportions. Fear of political violence, social unrest, and a dictatorial regime forced thousands of Haitians from their homeland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Refugees from Haiti arrived in Florida by boat, risking their lives in perilous journeys, hoping for freedom and a new start for their families.<\/p>\n<p>Wayne Sutton of Miami First Church of the Brethren described the situation: \u201cThere was a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Miami. Many of those who survived the trip arrived on our beaches with few connections and no means of support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Annual Conference in 1981, the denomination approved a study committee\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.brethren.org\/ac\/statements\/1981diminishingmembership.html\">response to a query on \u201cdiminishing membership\u201d<\/a>. The paper made several recommendations, one which particularly resonated with Miami First Church\u2019s leadership: \u201cThat every congregation be challenged to begin at least one new outpost. This may be a Bible study group, a group of persons geographically distant, or another cultural group\u201d (IV. D. article 7). Faced with a challenge to reach out to another cultural group, First Church immediately had one in mind.<\/p>\n<p>Planting a Haitian Church of the Brethren was a way to address Miami First Church\u2019s own challenges while also being faithful to a call to bear new fruit. At the time, according to Sutton, Miami First was \u201ca small and struggling intercultural urban congregation in a changing neighborhood. We were on the dole from the district to help us pay our pastor\u2019s part-time salary, so we didn\u2019t have a lot in the way of financial resources. And we didn\u2019t know any Haitians.\u201d Despite these hurdles, Miami First church stepped out in faith to care for and meet the needs of newly arrived Haitians, building new relationships. One of those who received assistance was pastor Ludovic St. Fleur.<\/p>\n<p>St. Fleur came to the US as a refugee during the crisis. A preacher in Haiti, he began a Bible study in his apartment shared with several other newly arrived Haitians. St. Fleur met another Haitian minister, R.C. Jean, who had recently become connected to Miami First as a potential Haitian pastor and church planter. Both participated in a Brethren love feast. St. Fleur described that he was \u201cstruck by the feetwashing and the holy kiss.\u201d He was interested in learning more about the Brethren and being part of a Haitian Brethren church plant, incorporating his Bible study into the new church project. Miami First encouraged plural leadership, so both Jean and St. Fleur served as leaders in the beginning. Theological and practical differences around the use of violence led to Jean withdrawing from the Brethren and to St. Fleur becoming the lead pastor.<\/p>\n<p>The fledgling church project grew, and St. Fleur\u2019s ministry was supported by Miami First in the beginning. One time, St. Fleur invited former Miami First Church pastor Bill Bosler to speak about Brethren history. According to Sutton, Bosler explained how the early Brethren were also \u201cboat people,\u201d fleeing oppression and coming to America looking for a new life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The church was received as a fellowship in October 1983. As it grew, other Haitian congregations were also planted in Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Naples, Fla. In 2003, St. Fleur began to plant churches in Haiti. To date, there are 21 \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien congregations in Haiti. While starting these new churches, \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien has intentionally planted congregations both distinctly Haitian and distinctly Brethren in belief and practice. Keeping this distinction involves ongoing teaching and training, through preaching and also things like bi-annual peace seminars for Haitian Brethren to learn about biblical peace theology and practice.<\/p>\n<h2>In all things, love<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhat is \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res? Is it Baptist? Methodist?\u201d For Haitians encountering the Church of the Brethren for the first time, the denomination is perplexing. Members must often describe their church, what it is, and what it believes and does. Servilia Attelus explains it this way: \u201c\u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res is a group of persons who get together, share love together, unity together, share confidence together. That\u2019s why it\u2019s named \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res.\u201d Members interviewed described the church as a \u201ccommunity of support,\u201d with a strong sense of community, where people are accepting and loving. According to Claudette Phannord, their pastor teaches that \u201cthe church should be a group of people who love one another and support one another. We try hard for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Numerous Haitians in the US provide for the needs of both their families at home and back in Haiti. As such, resources can be scarce. Many members of \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien work two minimum-wage jobs, with long, irregular hours. Unexpected events would be extreme hardships without the support of the church; members assist each other during weddings, funerals, or illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the strengths of their church, members cited its emphasis on love and reconciliation. Attelus commented that \u201cpastor Ludovic has never preached without teaching about love.\u201d \u201cRespect, love, and unity,\u201d said Ramses Papillon, \u201cwe have this even though there\u2019s a lot of diversity in the church.\u201d While members are all of Haitian origin, people come from a variety of theological backgrounds (e.g. Baptist, Roman Catholic, or Church of God). These differences provide challenges and can cause conflict. Thankfully, the church navigates these conflicts by teaching both love and conflict resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Biblical teaching on peace gives members the tools to engage with people of different theological backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities. Rose Cadet explained, \u201cIt helps me in my personal life and relationships, trying to make peace and keep peace with everyone around me. I think that\u2019s one of the greatest benefits of being in the Church of the Brethren.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A future for youth\u2014and a new baby<\/h2>\n<p>Similar to all congregations, challenges do exist alongside strengths and areas of growth. Theological diversity can create conflict. Time and energy are challenges: It is difficult to get to Bible study if you work 14-hour days to support your family. Culture and language pose unique hurdles. Youth born in the US to Haitian parents often speak less Creole and more English. It has been difficult to retain young people in the church, who relocate after college or find other churches upon their return. St. Fleur and several others cites the need to engage and empower youth in the church, supporting them in spite of cultural, generational, and linguistic differences. \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien is trying to support their youth in new ministries and outreaches. During my visit, youth were planning an event called #POW (Power of Worship), with singing, poetry, dance, and preaching.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_220\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-220\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-220\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/pow.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/pow.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/pow-300x181.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Power of Worship poster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien, engaging and empowering youth is where the church\u2019s energy must be focused. Seeing youth become leaders was cited by many, when asked what they hoped to see in the next five or 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>St. Fleur also hopes to see a new church plant in the US. \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien is seen as the \u201cmother church\u201d of 24 other churches and, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s time to have a new baby.\u201d Another church distinctly Haitian, distinctly Brethren, characterized by peace, love, and feetwashing.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos by Jennifer Hosler.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does it mean to be Brethren at \u00c9glise des Fr\u00e8res Ha\u00eftien? Peace, love, and feetwashing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[25,26],"class_list":["post-203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-from-the-cities","tag-jennifer-hosler","tag-stories-from-the-cities"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions\/221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}