Haiti Lutheran Mission Society reports growth in Haiti

The Lutheran Church of Haiti’s quarry.

HAITI – Twenty years ago, l’Eglise Lutherienne d’Haiti (the Lutheran Church of Haiti, LCH) was born. Since that time, the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society (HLMS) of Canada has helped support Lutheran ministry in Haiti by helping to fund pastoral salaries, as well as by supplying clothing and other social ministry goods which accompany Gospel outreach.

Through the support of HLMS, the Lutheran Church of Haiti began operating a quarry and construction company in 2004, which it uses to generate funds for church operations. Now HLMS reports that the quarry’s operations generate enough funds to pay pastoral support to the church’s pastors for the better part of each year.

The quarry project began in 2004 after the destruction wrought by Hurricane Jeanne. The LCH took out a loan and purchased a 35 acre quarry near Gonnaives. Seven years later the church purchased the adjoining 65 acres. Thanks to the support of HLMS in sending equipment for the quarry, the project has provided jobs, funds to pay pastors, and resulted in the creation of a cement-block making business as well as a construction company. The project also supports the LCH’s guest house. Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, equipment from the quarry was used to remove rubble from 3,000 sites to allow people and churches the ability to rebuild.

The church expects the quarry project to continue to grow, following the discovery of marble in the hillside two years ago. Plans are currently underway to begin extracting marble, HLMS notes, and the church hopes to gain further financial independence through the project.

As of the end of 2014, the Lutheran Church of Haiti reports it now has 220 congregations and 58,000 members. The church hopes to start five more congregations in 2015, with plans to hire five more pastors and build five more churches.

HLMS attributes the growth to the leadership of President Revenel Benoit, who helped found the Lutheran Church of Haiti twenty years ago. For more information on the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society and the work it supports, visit www.haitilutheranmissionsociety.ca.

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With files from Wally Bogusat, Chairman of HLMS

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