This Ministry in Short

Church in the Pines has a sister church relationship with the Evangelical Baptist Church of the Orange Grove (EBO) in Jacmel Haiti since 2007. It was at that time, under the leadership of the mission Partners with Haiti, that we “partnered” with this wonderful church to pray for and serve one another. CIP has made a number of trips to EBO over these years and Pastor Joseph Beliziare, pastor of EBO, has made a number of trips to our church to speak. The members and friends of CIP sponsor over 70 children in the Christian School that EBO runs. These sponsorships are facilitated through the Bethany Project which is an arm of Partners with Haiti. You will see through the following articles the nature and extent of this relationship which is on-going. After a brief history of our relationship you will find other articles and additional information on this relationship.

A Brief History of the CIP and EBO Relationship

In 2007, the leadership and congregation of Church in the Pines (“CIP”) wanted to take our Missions commitment to a deeper and more personal connection level, so we began the journey of finding a Sister Church. At the time one of our families was in the process of adopting from the country of Haiti and one of our deacons was Haitian American, so this seemed like a natural place for us to start the search. The Treasurer (Robert St. Julien) from Partners with Haiti (“PWH”) came to speak to CIP in December 2007 about the opportunity of a “Vision Trip” under the direction and care of PWH. After much prayer and consideration, the Lord put together the perfect team of representatives from Church in the Pines and in July 2008 they set off for Haiti. PWH arranged for the group to meet with three different churches (in size and geographic settings) and it was a whirlwind week long adventure. The team traveled to Port au Prince (the capital of Haiti), Les Cayes and Jacmel. Upon return to the U.S., it was the unanimous recommendation of the team that L’Eglise Evangelique Baptiste des Oranges (“EBO”) in Jacmel, Haiti was a perfect “sister church” fit! We are about 200 and they are about 200 ~ we are Church in the Pines and they are Church in the Orange Grove ~ at that time our pastor (Knudsen) had been at the helm for 17 years and their pastor (Belizaire) had led EBO the same length of time ~ we were a country church and they were on the outskirts of Jacmel and very much a country setting! Wow God! You are amazing and each plan and detail is in your hands. Thank you for this first step ~ now what is ahead?

The Relationship Blossoms

The excitement and love was spreading between the two churches during 2009. Several of the families from CIP already sponsored children through the Bethany Project (PWH) for the EBO school and that number expanded, more CIP sisters wanted to be a part of the prayer initiative, the guys wanted to get in on this too (Prayer Warriors) and we began to connect on the agricultural outreach with a couple of small fundings to assist the EBO farming community with seeds (the last crop to finance self funding was destroyed in a hurricane). Our churches were connecting in a personal and spiritual way. The next trip (February 2010) was expected to build on our relationship with a two-day Vacation Bible School for all of the EBO children and a two-day Teen Retreat to the seashore and more meetings with the sisters, farmers, leaders and a new outreach ~ medical clinic run on weekends at EBO. Five weeks before the next team left for Jacmel the infamous earthquake occurred ~ Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 4:53 p.m. The lives of our friends were changed forever. We were thankful that none of the EBO members perished in this terrible tragedy, but the church sustained slight damage, the parsonage (next door) was destroyed, and many extended family members were lost ~ particularly loved ones in Port au Prince. Communication systems were damaged and the world held its breath. On Thursday morning (1/14/10) we were able to make contact with Pastor Belizaire and learn of the fate of our Sister Church and brothers and sisters. An emergency business meeting of the CIP membership was called that Sunday and the group voted to provide all “free cash” ($40K) to whatever rescue and relief efforts may be necessary to assist our brethren. The CIP women were studying Esther at the time and I will never forget the passage that weekend and know that the Lord was speaking to all of us ~ Esther 4:14b “And who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?” An exploration that began two years ago and started in earnest the previous year ~ your timing and plans are always perfect Lord!