Learn about Jeremie Rising, one of the Haiti ministry partners supported through the Gardens of Hope campaign, and then hear an update from campaign leaders.
JOHN E. HARNISH
Michigan Conference Communications
Fifteen years ago, a retired nurse and a vice president at General Motors visited Jérémie, Haiti, for the first time, and the rest, as they say, is history — an incredible history of ministry that has linked churches throughout the Michigan Conference with the people of Haiti.
In 2010, an earthquake in Port-au-Prince killed over 200,000 people and displaced tens of thousands. At the request of their pastor at First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Michigan, John and Nancy Smith organized the congregation to assemble 3,600 health kits in just three weeks. Then, believing they could become more directly involved, the church formed a Volunteers in Missions (VIM) team to travel to Haiti, following the example of other Michigan United Methodist churches that had done the same.
Like others before them, John and Nancy, when they traveled to Jérémie in 2011, were touched by the many needs and opportunities in Haiti. With full support from Birmingham: First UMC, they started a mobile medical clinic program. Nancy gathered medical supplies through her role as a member of the foundation board at what was then St. Joseph Hospital in Pontiac. John used his influence as a member of Ascension Michigan’s board and his connections in the auto industry. “The only thing I asked for and didn’t get,” John says, “was when I asked Roger Penske if we could use his plane. It was a long shot, but he offered generous support in other ways instead.”
The Smiths led Birmingham’s first VIM team to Jeremie in 2012 and took teams every year through 2019. They organized mobile medical clinics, built churches and schools, renovated an orphanage and an elder care facility, and launched a tuition sponsorship program for K-12 students who otherwise would be unable to attend school.
The Smiths say, “Many moments stand out, but a request from the village of David is always at the top of our minds.” After a 45-minute drive and a 45-minute walk deep into the mountains, they saw the church. It was nothing more than rusted tin sheets and tarps stretched over rickety, thick branches. Given the chance to build a church in “the city of David,” Birmingham: First’s congregation rose to the challenge, and by early 2020, the Haitian congregation had a proper building, complete with solar power.
The Birmingham: First VIM team became part of the Detroit Conference Jeremie Haiti Project, which had been working in Haiti for decades, dating back to the 1970s, and the ministry of Rev. and Mrs. Harry Brakeman, who also had a heart for Haiti. Other pastors and churches, including Rev. Karl and Carmen Zeigler, have been involved in the Haitian ministry for years. In 2019, as the conference’s Jeremie Haiti Project began to wind down, Jeremie Rising was formed as an independent nonprofit to continue the work. In this way, they could receive support from both non-religious agencies and churches.
Jeremie Rising is a ministry partner of Next Generation Ministries, which is an Advance project under the General Board of Global Ministries. Next Generation partners with Jeremie Rising for mobile medical clinics, orphan care, feeding programs, and disaster relief in Haiti. Jeremie Rising, through Next Generation Ministries, is also an international ministry partner supported by the Michigan Conference’s EngageMI mission engagement program.
In only 5 years, Jeremie Rising has raised nearly $1 million. In 2025, they funded scholarships for 220 K-12 students, built 16 shelter homes, provided monthly support for seven mobile medical clinics, managed two orphanages and one elder care facility, and renovated a church in the seaside village of Testasse after a hellish windstorm stripped its roof and damaged the structure.
The Smiths say, “Part of the success of Jeremie Rising has been the amazing partnerships we have developed.” A key partner is Wade McGuinn, a home builder in Columbia, South Carolina. When the Foyer des Petits Orphanage was threatened with eviction from its location in Jérémie, Wade and the Methodist Church of Haiti renovated an abandoned building in just two months to give it a new home. The McGuinn Homes Foundation continues to support the Foyer des Petits Orphanage, the building of shelter homes, and the mobile medical clinics.
Another important partner is Agape Flights, based in Venice, Florida. Given the violence around Port-au-Prince, shipping through the capital city is no longer possible. Agape’s direct flights to Jérémie enabled Jeremie Rising to ship over four tons of equipment, tools, and medical supplies in 2024 alone.
Perhaps the most important partner is the capable ground team in Jérémie, including two project managers, three nurses, an engineer, and skilled tradespersons. Jeremie Rising has secured a means to safely get funds into their competent hands, so donations are always assured to get where they are intended.
Despite the incredible challenges, the past 15 years have been a blessing for John and Nancy. “Since there is no public safety net or stable economy,” John says, “the needs around Jeremie are great, but the impossible becomes possible as people’s hearts are touched and they catch the vision.” For example, after Nancy shared an update at Birmingham: First UMC, two anonymous donors gave combined gifts of $45,000, demonstrating that others have a heart for Haiti, too.
The Michigan Conference’s Gardens of Hope campaign will support Jeremie Rising and three other Haiti ministry partners, and local United Methodist churches and individuals are invited to join and give to expand the vision of these ministries and their love for the people of Haiti.
Watch this video to learn more about Jeremie Rising and the Gardens of Hope campaign.
John speaks about the blessings of working alongside the other ministries and the Michigan Conference’s Haiti Task Force. “While we work in different areas and towns,” he notes, “the struggles of the Haitian people we bear witness to are the same. We compare notes on the various relief programs we operate and the methods we use to engage and support our respective ground teams.”
The Gardens of Hope campaign aims to raise $200,000 to support life-changing ministries in Haiti that plant seeds of hope for a better future. The campaign asks each United Methodist congregation to give at least $350 to meet the campaign goal. Jeremie Rising is one of the four ministries that will receive funds from this campaign. Read more about the campaign.
The funds Jeremie Rising will receive — $33,333 — will be used to pay for and organize five mobile health clinics and to provide tuition scholarships for 74 students whose parents can no longer afford to send them to school. The annual tuition costs $400 per student.
Rev. Tiffany Newsom, co-chair of the Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force and the lead for the Gardens of Hope campaign, has provided an update on the campaign’s progress. As of the end of October, the campaign has received contributions from 18 Michigan United Methodist churches and five individuals. The average congregational contribution has been $470, with nearly all meeting the $350 goal. Thus far, the campaign has raised just over $9,000.
“I am so grateful to those congregations and individuals who have been early adopters of the campaign,” says Newsom, “which will benefit our mission partners, including Jeremie Rising. These congregations have stepped out in faith to plant seeds of hope. There is no better time than now for you and your congregation to step out in faith and do the work of watering those seeds, so that God can make them flourish and the people of Haiti can reap the benefits.”
Newsom suggests ways for individuals and churches to join the Gardens of Hope campaign as we enter the season of giving and 2025 comes to an end.
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- On Giving Tuesday, December 2, encourage individual donations via your personal social media accounts by promoting the campaign’s easy and secure online giving link. Online donations can be made with a credit card, Venmo, or PayPal. Learn about the giving options.
- Local churches can take up an offering during Advent. Discover a variety of promotional materials for the campaign on this web page. The Bishop’s Advent Offering this year will go toward the Gardens of Hope campaign. Download bulletin inserts and giving information.
“Advent is, after all, a season of hoping and anticipating the brighter future God has promised,” concludes Newsom, “and this campaign presents a perfect opportunity for you and your congregation to participate in building a brighter, more hope-filled future for a people who have experienced hardship beyond our imagining for generations.”
Last Updated on November 24, 2025