What we do
The Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force works to support the Conference covenant relationship with the people of Haiti.
Key Haiti EngageMI ministries
The Task Force organizes financial and spiritual support for three EngageMI ministries in Haiti including:
Grace Children's Hospital & Outpatient Clinic
Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI)
Next Generation Ministries
Need more information?
Rev. Tiffany NewsomDeaconess Valerie Mossman-CelestinCo-Chairpersons, Haiti Task Force
4 ways you can covenant with Haiti
The 2024 Michigan Annual Conference renewed the commitment to the people of Haiti. In order to be good stewards of resources, the Michigan Area Haiti Task Force recommends that your support be given through three Advance Specials of The United Methodist Church that are ministry partners through EngageMI. They are listed at left. These projects balance efforts of recovery and compassion with long-term development.
Financial contributions are important. But here are four additional ways to be in covenant.
- Read about how to be responsible with your support: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder; Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age of Globalization by Jean Bertrand Aristide; Rubble Nation: Haiti’s Pain, Haiti’s Promise by Chris Herlinger & Paul Jeffrey; Travesty in Haiti: A true account of Christian missions, orphanages, fraud, food aid and drug trafficking by Timothy Schwartz; and When Helping Hurts by John Perkins.
- Invite a speaker to visit your church to share their experiences in Haiti with you. Presenters are available on a Sunday morning or during the week to share with your congregation, classes, UWF gatherings, or teams of mission leaders. Please let us know if you would like one of our presenters to come and encourage you to greater involvement in Haiti.
- Help the Michigan Haiti Task Force engage others in mission. Is someone in your church excited about Haiti? They would be welcome as new members of the Task Force. (The Task Force meets 4-6 times a year by Zoom.) The Task Force would also like to hear any strategies or stories your church has used in its outreach to Haiti’s people. By pooling our energy and ideas, we can start new waves of engagement and support.
- Pray for all the people in Haiti and all those working in ministry with them.
About Haiti
Mizak, Musac on this map, is the home of Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI). Jeremie Rising is in the southwest of the country. Grace’s headquarters is located in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince and they have rural mobile clinics in the region.
New model of relationship
Twenty-eight years ago, the Michigan Area – Detroit and West Michigan conferences – entered a covenant relationship with the Methodist Church of Haiti. The Eglise Methodiste d’haiti (EMH) is a district of The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, which grew out of The British Methodist Church. Since the first covenant in 1996, things have changed both in Michigan and in Haiti. Two conferences are now one in Michigan. An earthquake, COVID-19, political instability, and leadership changes have rocked Haiti. These factors have made it increasingly difficult both for accountability and for Michigan residents to visit the ministries they helped build in Haiti.
Given these realities, the Michigan Haiti Task Force explored ways to move forward in vital partnership with the people of Haiti. At the 2024 Michigan Annual Conference, the task force introduced a new model of relationship, which members adopted. Churches and individuals across the state can now continue their support of their Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ with renewed enthusiasm and confidence.
Last Updated on September 7, 2024