Bob Downey, Director of North America Work, is in Haiti for the dedication of two churches. He is accompanied by Eugene Segres, pastor of our Brooklyn, New York (Lafayette) church, and Mark Worthington, pastor of our St. Louis, Missouri church.
The first dedication was held on Thursday for our church in Clery, L’asile, which is pastored by Charly St. Hubert. Brother Bob writes that the saints were very friendly and gracious. They had been holding special meetings since the beginning of the week, and the pastor’s wife had been providing meals for all of the guests!
The service began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted nearly three hours. About 280 people were in attendance, filling the church to capacity and spilling over into the doorway and then outside. None of our Haiti churches have electricity, so a generator was rented to run the sound equipment. Brother Mark played his trombone during several of the congregational numbers and then played a special with the congregation, joining in on the chorus of “Count Your Blessings.” Brother Bob spoke on the history of the Apostolic Faith, from its roots to its worldwide impact. Brother Eugene delivered the dedication message from 2 Chronicles 1:7, “In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.” Our team reports that a wonderful spirit was felt throughout the service. A time of fellowship followed the dedication, and Brother Mark made great friends with the many children by handing out candy.
Our team is scheduled to spend one week in Haiti and they are looking forward to the second church dedication in Mirebalais. They also hope to visit our church and school in Aquin (dedicated in 2010), and our church in Grand Place, which was dedicated in 2003 as the first Apostolic Faith Church established in Haiti. They are praying that they can be a blessing to the people of Haiti during their visit.