The Haiti Medical Project attained a 30-month milestone this summer in June, reports Dale Minnich who serves as a volunteer fundraiser for the project. Also this summer, Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren surpassed its fundraising goal of $100,000 to raise an actual amount of $103,700, reported by Lancaster member Otto Schaudel.
Haiti
International Guests to Be Welcomed at the 2014 Annual Conference
A number of international guests are to be welcomed at this year’s Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, which takes places July 2-6 in Columbus, Ohio. Guests are expected from Nigeria, Brazil, and India. Global Mission and Service workers also will be attending from Nigeria, South Sudan, Haiti, and Honduras.
Touching Lives Deeply: Reflecting on a Workcamp in Haiti
The week of Feb. 1-8, a team of 23 people traveled to Haiti on a short-term mission trip. The trip was arranged and facilitated by New Fairview Church of the Brethren in York, Pa. There were at least five denominations represented. I know of no other experience that touches lives so deeply.
Mission Advisory Committee Has First-Hand Look at Haiti, Proposes Work Toward a Global Brethren Body
The Mission Advisory Committee, which helps guide the international ministries of the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service program, held its biennial gathering in Haiti to see first-hand the holistic ministry of the Haitian mission. The visit hosted by the Brethren Ministry Center in the Port-au-Prince area, also met with Haitian leadership to better understand the growth of Eglise des Freres Haitiens, the Haitian Church of the Brethren.
Work and Prayer on the Border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic
A highlight from a recent Brethren mission trip to Haiti and the Dominican Republic was a time of prayer on the border between the two countries. Two groups of volunteers traveled to the Dominican Republic in December and January to help build a church in La Descubierta, with funding from Global Mission and Service, Brethren World Mission, and both volunteer groups. Located near the border with Haiti, La Descubierta is a community comprised primarily of Haitian immigrants.
Global Food Crisis Fund Gives $50,000 for Agricultural Projects in Haiti
The Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF), a fund of the Church of the Brethren dedicated to developing food security, is making an allocation of $50,000 for the continuation of agriculture development projects in Haiti. A previous grant of $50,000 was given to this project in September 2012.
Brethren Attend Echo Caribbean Conference in the DR, GFCF Manager Assesses Situation of Haitian Dominicans
Brethren representatives from the Dominican Republic and the United States were part of an ECHO Caribbean conference this fall, including Jeff Boshart, manager of the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF).
Dominican Republic Court Ruling from the International Perspective
By Doris Abdullah, Church of the Brethren representative to the United Nations: The Sept. 25 Dominican Republic court ruling denies Dominican nationality to children of undocumented migrants who have been born or registered in the country after 1929 and who do not have at least one parent of Dominican blood. This comes under a 2010 constitutional clause declaring these people to be either in the country illegally or in transit.
Royer Family Charitable Foundation Offers Major Support to Haiti Medical Project
The Haiti Medical Project is receiving a major multi-year grant from the Royer Family Charitable Foundation that will enable a doubling of the number of communities in Haiti that are served by mobile clinics. The grant in addition will help the project purchase a truck and will contribute to an endowment fund.
Gather ’Round Staff Complete Employment with Brethren Press and Mennomedia
Anna Speicher and Cyndi Fecher are completing their employment with Gather ’Round, the Christian education curriculum produced jointly by Brethren Press and MennoMedia. Gather ’Round is in its final year of production and will be available through the summer of 2014. The successor curriculum, Shine, will be available beginning next fall.