Supporting the Work of Pastor Luc and Harmony Ministries in Haiti

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For more than 30 years, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville has been involved in the life and work of Harmony Ministries, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which is led by our Mission Affiliate, Pastor Luc Deratus.  For the second year in a row, Pastor Luc will not be visiting with us in Lawrenceville during Haiti Mission Month. We hope that he will be able to come in the spring, when it may be safer.

Jeff Vamos did speak to Pastor Luc in early January.  Pastor Luc reported that Haiti is very unsafe right now. There are gangs in the ghetto where the PAP church is located, but they don’t terrorize the people in that neighborhood, so the church doors have never been closed. They are able to worship, and Pastor Luc continues to preach. He does not have any additional security; he is trusting in God. He doesn’t go into the streets too often, as kidnappings are still happening. He keeps a very low profile. In addition to the Sunday service, Pastor Luc has arranged for Deacons to lead services on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The work continues at the other Harmony sites (Leogane, Thoman, LaSalle and Bertrand). Pastor Luc has not been able to travel to them, as there are many gangs hiding along the way, so he communicates with the leaders at each place by telephone. The medical clinic in PAP is “going very strong.” It is open four days a week, and the doctor is seeing more people now than ever before — about 60-70 people each day, some with COVID. They don’t know if Omicron is acute, but there are lots of people with fever and cough. They do all that they can to help alleviate people’s symptoms, but they do not have the vaccine. There has always been a need for support, but this year, with the ongoing crisis, there is a greater need, and we ask you to consider generously supporting our work in Haiti.

There are three ways we support Pastor Luc and Harmony Ministries:

• Haiti General Fund: This fund allows Pastor Luc to purchase food, medicine, and bags to fill with rice, and it helps subsidize the doctor at the Harmony Medical Clinic in Port-au-Prince. This support is enormously important to help conquer hunger and to provide medical care to those who have no other medical option. We have committed $9,000 to support this important effort for two months in 2022.
• Haiti Support a Student Fund: This fund supports Pastor Luc’s schools, helping students in Port-au- Prince, Thoman, Leogane, LaSalle and Bertrand. Because of this support, Pastor Luc has been able to hire more teachers, build more classrooms, purchase school supplies, and provide lunch for the students. You can Support a Student for $50 for one year.
• Haiti Missionary Fund: This fund helps support Pastor Luc with living expenses.

February 13, 2022 is the day designated for our Haiti Special Offering this year, however, you may make your gift at any time by going to the church website and clicking on the blue DONATE button at the top of the page, then selecting one of the three Haiti Funds from the drop-down menu. Or, if you prefer, you can send a check to the church office. You can write on the memo line of the check which Haiti Fund you would like to support.

We are most grateful for your generous support, as are Pastor Luc and the people of Harmony Ministries!