The Work Continues

This past year, ReachGlobal Crisis Response hosted over 1600 volunteers in New Orleans, New Jersey, Staten Island, Haiti, and Colorado. Our Mobilize Initiative is working as churches are trained to serve with us in a crisis. Two churches have joined the initiative, and a third is currently checking out the process.  God continues to provide faithful partners in the form of churches, individuals, and companies who donate funds and supplies to meet the many needs in different crisis locations. We received our largest donation yet this week to help with our general crisis fund. This fund is important, because it allows us to react quickly when a disaster strikes and provide immediate help for those in desperate need.

We have seen God work in amazing ways at each of the sites where we have ministered this year. Brigantine Bible Church
is restored and reaching out to their community in New Jersey with the love of Jesus Christ. Below is a photo from their fall baptism.

 
Beacon Church continues to supply lodging and food as well as relational ministry workers in New Jersey. Lenny and Jen will be working there with teams this spring.  A number of homeowners are back in their homes, but workers are still needed for many remaining work orders.

Salem Church in Staten Island has made a long-term commitment to help with crisis ministry.

We have rented a former convent to house teams.  There are many homeowners on the list waiting for help, and the church members are partnering with us.  Salem Church has baptized around 80 new Christians this year as God uses the crisis to draw people to Him.  Teams are needed to continue the fruitful outreach.  The church is building a relational team with Ella Miller's help to reach out to their neighbors.

Crisis Response is working closely with Pastor Sam, leader of 5 church plants in East Samar since Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines. Waves washed away homes, schools, boats, fields, and trees. The coconut and banana trees and boats now strewn across the ground were the main

income of many. Families have no choice but to send their kids off to other regions or countries to find low paying jobs to help support their family. This makes the kids susceptible to trafficking and exploitation. Our plan includes clearing rice fields and repairing fishing boats to help protect kids and their families. We are helping church par-ners develop teams to deal with emotional, spiritual, and physical needs long-term. They are setting up safe places for kids to gather, receive care, and learn. We are also providing chain saws to convert downed trees into lumber for homes. So many trees are down, and the lumber from these trees is being used to rebuild homes.

In Colorado, we are organizing a response involving churches and secular groups.  We match secular groups to Christian homeowners and Christian groups to secular homeowners for Gospel outreach.



 

Discipleship, Restoration, and Leadership Development in Haiti from Baltimore Meetings

Discipleship: (Dr. Dorlus)

Identified 2 things- not that separate in real life

Look at from

1.      Worldview

2.      Obedience

Haiti now mostly geared toward memorization not obedience.  Not, how are you going to apply this?  This is their way of regular education.  Everything is rote learning and then practice.  They have done church the same way.

Worldview: Address all of the Gospel issues in context and transfer in a way Haitians can understand and are thinking.  They have different basic definitions for words because of their worldview.

Missions:  They are just now understanding that it is not just local, but crossing cultural barriers.

Progress: Still studying worldview.  Dr. Dorlus stated he is finding things we did not address, but the Bible did.  We did not ask the questions.  We were not cognizant of that.

Dr. Dorlus explained that this past week at the number one radio station in the country, they talked about Haitian mentality.  They talked about positive and negative things we do that are attached to the way we think.  After the presentation, the phones were overloaded on this live call in show with people calling with questions.  You can tell there is a strong interest on this end.  Who are we?  Why is it we do what we do? Can it be changed?  Most of the questions that went through had to do with how we engage society.  They asked, “How does that relate to politics?”  Just take the word conversion.  What we evangelicals mean by that is not the same as what locals mean by that.  What locals mean is that you walk in front of the altar.  You ask, “Have you been converted to Christianity.”  They may answer, “Oh, I’ve done that 6 times already.”  Basic words need to be defined.  There is a link between this and leadership development.  (Pray for Jean Dorlus.  Satan has been fighting this worldview research because of the difference it will make.)

Dr. Dorlus spoke with a voodoo priest on the street and asked him for his definition of death.  Death is crossing to go somewhere else.  Technically, after one year and one day they believe you can talk to that person.  They can tell you just about anything.  The priest said that even your Bible says you can do that.  He used the story of the witch of Endor.  The average Haitian thinks he can talk to dead parents.  This is just one example of the difference worldview makes.

Restoration:

 Initiatives (focus areas)- Ag, health, Education, Evangelism, Global Fingerprints

All have leadership development that leads to Gospel transformation.  We want to develop teams for each of these.

Community Housing Evangelism- doing at STEP, bringing housing back in to people who lost their homes (security, dignity)

Principles are transferable from one initiative to another.  We need to identify teams and team leaders, or have more partner conversation.

STEP- Mobile Medical Unit- Pilot projects that we need to replicate or spread.  The initial relationship was with one partner.

In Leadership Development

·         Main one is obedience based discipleship

·         Servant leader

·         Ministry skills

·         Ethics- personal, family life in ministry

·         Doctrine

Dave Hyatt pointed out that there is a great overlap between worldview and leadership development.  People’s worldview is so messed up.  It is great that we realize in Haiti that people don’t necessarily understand conversion and basic steps of Christianity without more explanation and need a period of teaching.  They continue to lead a pagan life otherwise.   Americans suffer from thinking they are Christian enough, but there is so much syncretism going on.  “The rocks we hit in leadership development are the same rocks we hit in normal discipleship.”

STEP is huge in their training, their ministry network, current students, and faculty influence.  Almost every organization we have been involved with has asked for help in leadership development in some way.   So that is a huge area.

When the Haitians self-analyzed, Dr. Dorlus said, “Guys, we are the problem.  We are the ones training the leaders, and we need to train our whole approach to training.”  How do we even teach?  We need to do more.  Steve said, “We think we are starting from zero, but we are starting from negative because of worldview issues.”  Mark talked about the Yoda quote from Star Wars, “You must unlearn what you have learned.”  We still have not figured out what has to be unlearned.  This involves not only material and content, but also method.  Dave said what he has seen work is people building into their lives who have come alongside them.  He spoke of a profound statement from Ginger Muchmore from 1 Thessalonians 1:9 about turning to God from worthless idols.  She stated that so much of conversion in Haiti is turning to God but not turning from worthless idols.   The discipleship process says, “What are you leaving behind? What are you unlearning?”   It is not going to be a book or radio broadcast that changes them.   It is life on life.  It is the obedience piece- becoming self- feeding, and learning by observation instead of memorization.  55-60% of Haitians are functionally illiterate, so you can’t just tell them to read the book of Galatians.  Bruce McMartin pointed out that in their mindset, their favorite teacher will be someone at the high school who stutters and has trouble getting things out.  They feel he has so much in his head that he can’t get it out.  “We are trying to put the cookies on the lower shelf, and yet this is the guy they are holding up as the intellectual who has all this knowledge.… We will not get any respect to get a hearing.”  Dr. Dorlus said, “It is a different value system.”

 

 

 

Key Result Areas for Haiti Consortium

Key Result Areas:

·         Restoration- many leaders died in earthquake, damage by earthquake, community development

·         Leadership Development-loss of leaders, growth in church (30% since earthquake, looking to expand

·         Gospel Transformation-Church Planting Movement,

New church model- be more faithful to the Bible and more relevant to the Haitian culture, shift focus to discipleship and not just conversion experience, geared toward local evangelism now

·         Missions Mobilizations

Acts 19 location

Beyond

Vision d’Antioch

 

Guiding Principles on Haiti Ministry

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

“Some other top level guiding principles from our mission stand point- our core driver is develop, empower, release.  There are some higher level things that go above Haiti that become ethos for us as a mission. That is certainly one.  The ReachGlobal sandbox describes who we are, what we do, how we do ministry.  An entry position for a consortium person is having familiarity with the sandbox. … We’ve come up with a set of values, principles that we’re applying to ministry.  We are trying to make decisions based on those values.  We need to revisit those values so we can adjust them, because we keep learning more, and we need to refine them.  Haiti is this place of paradoxes.  You try to apply the value, and but what about this situation?”

Joe Casey asked if he understood that the initiatives have to come from the Haitian people.

 “Ideally, as we develop healthy partnerships and healthy relationships,” Mark pointed out, “it is actually something that comes together.  We’re working things independently, and they come together.  It’s not our idea, not a program we’re coming to push.  There’s nothing wrong with us having ideas.  There’s nothing wrong with Haitians coming to us with ideas. It is creating an exchange in a good, healthy way.  We work together on, ‘Is this a viable idea?  How does it get pulled off in a way that brings energy into a church planting movement that’s consistent with the vision?’”  The group members speak to the idea with an equal voice, and we can test it.

Bruce added indigenous ideas that sometimes they need to be refined so that it works down the road.  Steve said the Haitians want to be at the table, so we are moving forward as a group, not as different cultures.  Bruce said there have been Haitians at the table before, but they didn’t feel they had a voice.  The Spirit works through unity, trust, and relationships.  We need a movement of God.  We don’t want the discussion to end when the American talks.

Dave Hyatt pointed out that the sandbox sets the parameters.  “Is it a great idea in this context?  Does it defeat larger aspects?  The relationships and the people around the table are critical, but the vision is more important than the folks at the table.”  If someone cannot attend or church staff changes, it should not make a difference.  Values are important.  We must maintain clarity of vision.  The other piece is that we need to raise funds to get the right people around the table for the conversation.  Haitians do not have the travel funds.

Our worldview tends to be focused on problems and fixing the problems.  That is an asset that we can bring into any context.  The real issue in Haiti is about relationships (between God and man, man and man, and man and environment).  We need to think in terms of restoration, healing, reconciliation.  Those are the dynamics that play into relationships.  It is easy to focus on initiatives, but we need to evaluate them to see if we are feeding into the vision.  We need to maintain a right altitude as a leadership team and not lose sight of the big picture.  Dave Hyatt pointed out that we need to address the heart and not the externals. 

Initiatives will affect both receivers and senders.  Some will be hugely impactful on one side and not the other and others will impact the opposite side.  We need bench marks to keep on target.  Defined results will take time over conversations.  We need to be released from the ministry model that measures success with building, bodies, and bucks. 

Bruce pointed out that the North American church needs a certain amount of strokes to feel good about what they are doing to keep going.  Dave pointed out the view current churches might have and that we need to have some freedom from some typical goals like “x” number of decisions.  They need to be released from the ministry models that says this activity equals success.  This is the measure of our spirituality.  It is a strength that we bring a level of accountability.  Dave said, “You can look at Jesus.  He wasted so much time.  What the heck was He thinking?  There’s a world to save and you’re just hanging out praying, spending time with these guys.  There are wins for us that we could not quantify going in.”   Mark summarized, “It’s about relationships, trust and engagement.  We want both.  We want to have dreams and results.  We want to try to have focused energy and be strategic with resources, yet at the same time, we want relationships.  We want to be.  One of the results can be the freedom to be and develop relationships.”  Rick emphasized that we must be in it for the long haul.  We are learning as we go and may make some mistakes.  It is a different model than the traditional model.  It is messy and may take longer.   Mark told us that with the coffee meeting, laity are stepping up and taking leadership roles and developing teams.

Jim Scott from Constance Free shared his experience with starting Global Fingerprints and the initial discussion on the area of the ag program focus.  “We knew we wanted to be involved in the area of child vulnerability and the area of ag development, yet at the time of pursuing this interest, we did not have a Haitian partner at the table. A significant part of this process flow is understanding what missional alignment looked like; what develop, empower release looked like. We did the initial definition work and held it with an open hand.  We used the term provisional, very intentionally, knowing that the purpose of this front and definitional work is going to help us as we interact with potential Haitian partners to see where there might be alignment.  When we look at the whole area of worldview development, leadership development, VA, that’s different because our Haitian partner is at the table.”  In March 2012, he shared with ReachGlobal what Global Fingerprints was doing in the Congo and they wanted Global Fingerprints to be in Haiti.  “We know that church multiplication, planting, worldview development, leadership development, these things are identified priority areas.  Second thing, not knowing who our Haitian partner would be at the table initially, we put work into understanding the essentials of alignment with our Haitian partner.  What are the matters of theological compatibility or a vision look like that reflected develop, empower, and release, and key values, practices, and understandings in the focus area?  How would we know if we are achieving missional alignment?”  He shared a document from the ag summit meeting called the river.    It was the stream of flow that leads to transformation at the individual and community level.  The banks of the river are defined by a particular area of focus (excellence in ag practices).  In Global Fingerprints, it is the reduction of child vulnerability in areas of education, nutrition, medical need, and spiritual development.  The practices define the parameters of the flow of the river.  (Ag- self sufficiency)  Farmers explained their deeply held values.  Don’t know particulars without the Haitian partners.  Key result areas are excellence in ag practices, heart transformation, and community transformation.  We seek wisdom from God on specific, realistic, measurable, and attainable goals and work towards those goals, but we also have faith goals.  Things that only God can do. We can proclaim the Gospel, but only God can convert the heart.  Only God brings the yield.

History of ReachGlobal Crisis Response in Haiti from Baltimore Meetings

Mark Lewis gave us some context for history and results.  He explained some key events that brought us to where we are.  From the ReachGlobal standpoint, it started with the earthquake which led to immediate relief and progressed to developing relationships and out of those relationships, connecting with partners in lots of different sectors locally (orphanage) and regionally (seminary).  As relationships grew and deepened, about 18 months in after the earthquake, the conversation changed from stuff based conversations (we need this) to substance (leadership, training).  We met Dr. Dorlus and Dr. McMartin about 2 months after the earthquake.  We started a deepening relationship that fairly quickly got pretty deep.

There has been so much kingdom investment in Haiti already, so questions had to be asked.  “Should we be in Haiti?”  “Should we be there for the longer term?” “Why is the culture not being transformed by the church?  That led to this study, this deepening understanding of what are the issues, and why is that not happening?  At the ten month mark, we convened a meeting in Haiti including representatives from STEP, local pastors, other ministries, Brazil, Reach Africa, Latin America, Carribean, Columbia EFC- a broad coalition of international partners, and local folks.  This led to the vision, which is not any organization’s mission’s statement, ‘to see an indigenous, disciple-making, and multiplying church, within walking distance of every Haitian, which demonstrates and engages in proclaiming the transforming power of the Gospel.’”

The Church in Haiti is Changing

The church in Haiti has changed in many ways in the many ways in the past 30 years.  Dr. Dorlus pointed out that there is “more discussion on what the church should be like” and how they can engage the Haitian culture.  The church has many more young people, and they have better trained pastors and leaders than in the past.  They partner with others now instead of just being focused on their small local area.

Dr. McMartin added that the Haitian church is taking more initiative and coordinating to further the kingdom.  They have a “compassion to help others find Christ” and “a sense for world mission.”  Not all Haitian churches have realized the application of the Great Commission for their church, but it is spreading.  An impact of the earthquake was spreading the population of Port-au-Prince across Haiti.  As they moved to new areas, they took their biblical training and ideas with them.  In addition, missions organizations, radios, biblical conferences, and S.T.E.P. create an ongoing increase in biblical principles across Haiti.

Dr. Dorlus chimed in that the way of doing ministry has changed since the earthquake.  “They must have ministry beyond the four walls, because the four walls are not there.”  Christians are asking, “What is ministry? What should the church do in the community?”  Fifteen to twenty years ago, they would not have asked these questions.  They have more partners than ever before.  The church has also developed a concern for the environment.

Devastation in Colorado

I cannot sleep tonight.  My heart is broken for the people in Colorado devastated by the flooding.  I have been praying for families, churches, and communities who have been torn apart unexpectedly.  A neighbor is found dead, people are trapped in their communities, families are in temporary shelters, possessions are lost, there is uncertainty about the future, businesses are destroyed, church members are separated by flood waters, and the list goes on.

This is a time when people need help and hope.  Access is limited to emergency personnel at this point and some communities are still inaccessible.  At this point, prayer is needed for wisdom in how to proceed.  Meetings are being held in the next few days that will hopefully result in Christians partnering together to help this devastated area.  ReachGlobal Crisis Response personnel are there helping already and equipping local churches with insights gained from other disasters.

There will be many opportunities soon to help people winterize, clean up properties, gut homes, and start the process of restoration of lives.  Perhaps you will be able to come help.  Perhaps you can provide finances for someone else to come, supplies needed to help, or basic food needs.  If you want to come with a team, e-mail crisisresponse@efca.org.  Check out the blog at http://reachglobalcrisisresponse.wordpress.com/ for up to the moment stories on what is happening in the lives of Colorado residents.  For ways to be involved, see http://go.efca.org/resources/announcement/colorado-flood-response.

Our hearts should be broken for these people, and it should affect how we respond.

Photo by Shelby Smoker