Vacation Bible School students... In July, Pastor Luc held a Vacation Bible School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which 1,000 children attended and were given a meal of beans and rice each day. Pastor Luc’s wife, Ronide, held a Women’s Conference which attracted 400 women from 30 different churches. The women studied about women of faith in the Bible. And July 10-24, a Youth Revival was held, with 600 to 700 in attendance. Folks from neighboring churches were invited to this event.

... Harmony Ministries schools opened in Port-au-Prince, Thoman and Leogane the second week of September. The remaining rubble has been used and cleared from the former school side of the Port-au-Prince property making room for the erecting of poles, which hold up a tin roof to act as a temporary school. The worship tent did not provide enough room for the school and this temporary construction will provide much needed space while the new church and school are being built. The tin for the roof was salvaged from the collapsed church.

... Work on the new Port-au-Prince church made great progress this summer. The foundation is complete, pillars with rebar are in place, and the setting of wall blocks has begun. Construction work continues with contributions of time and money from members of Pastor Luc’s church and funding support this summer and fall from Pinnacle, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, N.J., and Hudson Memorial Presbyterian, N.C.

... Work also continues on the building of a church and school in LaSalle, Pastor Luc’s birth village. The foundation of the church is laid, and the foundation and wall blocks are in place for the school. Pastor Luc anticipates 150 students will attend the school when it is open. There is not presently a school in this mountainous area where his brother lives and his mother lived and is now buried. Pastor Luc’s mother died this August at the amazing age of 98.

... This year marks the 30th anniversary of Harmony Ministries, led by Pastor Luc Deratus. He planned a three-week revival in April, had over 2,600 people at Easter services in Port-au-Prince, baptized 51 new believers on Easter Sunday, and fed over 3,000 people from the church and neighborhood. Meanwhile, children have been attending school in temporary facilities and work on the foundation for the new church/multipurpose building should be completed this summer.

... Pastor Luc’s son graduated from fifth grade on June 3, and his daughter finished second grade, both in North Miami where they live.

In 2006, Pastor Luc and his family were threatened by neighborhood gangs, went into hiding and then moved to safety with relatives in North Miami. Pastor Luc spends most of his time in Haiti, and his wife, Ronide, a trained medical technician, joins him there a few times a year. This summer, the whole family spent June and July in Haiti, where the children visited friends and family and brushed up on their Creole skills. This was the first time the children have been back to their homeland since 2007.

Construction at Port-au-Prince church

... From the generous special offerings PPC received following the earthquake in January 2010 and Pastor Luc’s visit in October 2010, we sent substantial funds to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for emergency relief, and since then have provided ongoing financial assistance to Harmony Ministries and Pastor Luc for his food program, medicines, Christian education, teacher salaries, and student support. From these special offerings, PPC also provided initial funding to enable work on the foundation for the new church structure.

... Just prior to the earthquake in January 2010, we had planned to send money to Harmony Ministries for a transformer for the church in Port-au-Prince. Fortunately the transformer had not yet been purchased, because it would have been lost in the quake. Several months later, improved power was delivered to the Harmony Ministries campus and a huge tent had been erected to serve as the church until a new building can be completed. The funds originally earmarked for electrical improvements were used instead to install a sound system in the tent church that will also be usable in the new facility. With crowds of 2,000 people in church each week, a good sound system is essential!

... The “Up From the Rubble” campaign at PPC in March 2011 raised over $75,000 (including one large gift of almost $50,000) to be used for the rebuilding of the Harmony Ministries church, school and clinic in Port-au-Prince. Pastor Luc carefully manages the building costs and requests funds from the Harmony Partners consortium only when needed for the next phase. The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (N.J.) provided building funds last spring, and we sent $15,000 from the “Up From the Rubble” funds in early June for building materials and wages for Haitian laborers. We’ll have construction photos of the progress when Pastor Luc returns in August.

April 2011 marked the 30th anniversary of Harmony Ministries. After graduating from Bible College and working in the U.S., Pastor Luc Deratus returned to Haiti and established Harmony Ministries in April 1981. To celebrate the milestone, Pastor Luc planned a three-week revival in April, culminating in Easter services in Port-au-Prince with over 2,600 people in attendance. He baptized 51 new believers on Easter Sunday, and fed over 3,000 people from the church and neighborhood. Meanwhile, children are attending school in temporary facilities and work on the foundation of the new church/multipurpose building is moving along.

The Haiti Initiative Team is working with other members and staff to bring educational experiences and events focused on Haiti to PPC during March. Mark your calendar and look for additional details on these happenings:

• Tuesday, March 15, from 7-9 p.m. in the Chapel – Pinnacle Theological Center partners with the Haiti Team to bring you featured speaker Kent Annan, founder of Haiti Partners and author of Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle and After Shock. Hear about life in Haiti one year after the earthquake, and meet people from other organizations in the Valley that provide Haiti support.

• Saturday, March 19, 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.(Note change in time) – Join the “Hoofin’ it for Haiti” Walk-a-Thon! You don’t need to walk for all 12 hours; come any time during the event and walk, push a stroller, skip with grandchildren, etc. Purchase craft items made by our preschoolers; get baked goods.  Meet Pastor Luc. Location: PPC Campus

• March 18–20 - Visit with Pastor Luc Deratus during his visit to Pinnacle.

• Sunday, March 20, from 6–8 p.m. — Come to the “Up From the Rubble: Harmony’s Hope for Haiti” fund-raising event and help meet our commitment to raise money to rebuild the church in Port-au-Prince. Location: FCF Holland Community Center in north Scottsdale. Pastor Luc is the featured speaker.

• March 13–April 17 — Support our children’s Lenten project:  Heifer for Haiti. Heifer International has a project placing sheep with families in rural Haiti. Learn more about it and the sustaining value of Heifer projects.

Take a week to read materials on the website, in our brochures and in the bulletin; attend a learning event; find out what the needs are and how we at PPC help.

Because of political instability in Haiti, Pastor Luc has advised that the PPC medical mission team not travel to Haiti at this time. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, we are talking with Pastor Luc, who is currently in Port-au-Prince, about the most effective ways in the current environment to support his mission of faith-building, education and care.

We have sent 12 boxes of medical supplies to him and will continue to send medical supplies and other items that are donated. We and other members of the Harmony Partners for Haiti consortium provide support for operation of the school, church and clinic and rebuilding efforts. For further information, contact Jan Loichle at jloichle@me.com or 480.575.9125.