Hands & Hope for Haiti

What Are We Doing as a Church?

 

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Haiti. As a church family, we are praying for the people of Haiti.  Currently our Pastor and staff are in communication with the Florida Baptist Convention and efforts to meet needs in the Name of Jesus.  We will be receiving a special offering (above and beyond the tithe) in our weekend services January 17 and January 24.  100% of our Hands & Hope for Haiti offering will be distributed through the Florida Baptist Convention for food, water, and other needs as a result of this tragedy in Haiti.

As opportunities present themselves in the coming days and weeks, we will make ourselves available to pray, give, and go in Jesus' Name.  

A Florida Baptist Convention assessment team is expected to travel to Port Au Prince Monday, Jan. 18, to determine how Florida Baptists can meet needs and provide assistance to the residents of the earthquake-damaged city. The team also expects to learn the condition of the Convention-owned mission house and the safety of employees who serve as mission leaders and mission house staff.

A report received early on Friday indicated that six of the seven missionary employees in Haiti have survived and are in the process of doing damage assessment of the needs of the community.

"These men have been trained in disaster relief by the Florida Baptist Convention," said John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer. "They know their country, their people and have experience responding in the aftermath of hurricanes. We are grateful to God that they are safe and are there to minister to the Haitian people." 

Meanwhile, many of the 15 mission house employees still have not been located. The Convention-owned mission house has been severely damaged. The mission house sleeps nearly 50 volunteers at a time and provides food and safety for mission teams traveling into Haiti. 

The Convention assessment team has had difficulty getting into the country. On Thursday afternoon the Port-Au-Prince airport was closed due to overwhelming demand of its facilities by relief planes and supplies being airlifted to Haiti. The United States Federal Aviation Administration restricted air traffic from the U.S. to Haiti. The shipping port is said to be destroyed by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Transportation from the airport to the neighborhood where the mission house is located is expected to be a problem due to limited gas and impassable roads. 

The assessment team will consist of Craig Culbreth, director of the Convention's Partnership Missions Department; Dennis Wilbanks, associate, Partnership Missions Department; Fritz Wilson, director, Disaster Relief and Recovery Department; and Joseph Gaston, director of the Language Haitian Church Development Department. 

The Convention, working in cooperation with Baptist Global Response and other Southern Baptist Convention agencies, is planning to establish feeding sites in and around Port Au Prince, offer medical personnel and supplies, help those hurting in the churches and assist local Baptist churches get back on their feet. 

The Convention has received assurances of financial support, equipment and medical resources from across the SBC as well as 40,000 volunteers who are ready to be mobilized. 

The Convention has ordered 42 tons of rice to be transported to Miami and readied for shipment to Haiti.

Contributions by credit card can be made through the Convention's website: www.flbaptist.org.

Updates on the Convention's response efforts in Haiti will be posted on the website: www.flbaptist.org.