You read that right, 10,000! Each year the national church association, MEBSH, that RMI partners with holds its annual convention for its members. As many as possibly can make it crowd into the the little village of Simon (a suburb of Cayes) where the mission center and MEBSH’s headquarters is located. The Simon church (which seats only 4,000) takes on the challenge to erect palm tree board benches, thatched roof shade coverings, tarps, tents and whatever else needs to be done to host the Convention. The church is painted, fans, lights and speakers are repaired or new ones installed, decorations are hung and the yard is cleaned. [Below benches are being built beside the main building.]
Special speakers are invited, choirs in MEBSH churches practice and meetings are planned well in advance. Starting Wednesday evening, the sessions go all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday until Sunday mid-day. 5 a.m. prayer meetings, 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. - doesn’t matter which meeting you go to, it’s literally standing room only! Church leaders, pastors, deacons and members are there to fellowship and be enriched by the many speakers and special choirs and singing.
If you miss a meeting, don’t worry because it is aired on the radio, TV and live stream online! It’s ok if you’re sitting outside because there are speakers set up everywhere and set on the highest volume setting while the projection screens set up capture everything there is to see on the inside. Extra lights are strung for night time, too. [Amazing technological advances are being made in Haiti!]
The streets surrounding the church become so crowded that they are impassible. Small booth after small booth is set up as vendors use the opportunity to sell food, snacks, books, clothing, shoes, household supplies, toys and all manner of sundry items. It takes on a street fair atmosphere. Old friends reconnect and groups of people from the outback of Haiti use this opportunity to see some of the “big city” sights and sounds and go shopping. [Below are pictures of the vendors just beginning to set up. Soon the streets with be wall to wall people!]
Thousands of people arrive by bus, on foot, motorcycle, bicycles, in cars, on horseback – any way they can get there. In a matter of hours the population of Simon more than quadruples.
People stay with friends or friends of friends, in school buildings (school isn’t in session during those days), camp out in smaller local churches, sleep on church benches, anywhere they can find to lay their heads. The congregation of the Simon church open their homes to sometimes dozens of people they don’t even know.
They all wear their Sunday best and make sure they have their Bibles and songbooks. Who cares if its stifling hot?! They are there for the encouragement and enrichment from God’s Word. But don’t leave your seat! It won’t be there when you get back! If you feel ill the Red Cross has it’s own tent set up and the MEBSH hospital is literally right around the corner.
Personal space? Not here! Claustrophobia? Nope, it’s close fellowship – unless you are a Westerner. 10,000 people in that small space is a phenomena to see and experience. It is a real microcosm of Haitian culture.
RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, was in Haiti last week before Convention started and was asked to stay an extra day so he could greet the people during the opening service along with several past presidents of MEBSH. It was a great honor for him! Some of those men graduated from Bible School when his dad was the Bible School Director and knew him as a kid, then as a missionary and now as RMI President.
Here is a report that was written Sunday, April 22, by another missionary:
Subject: report on the MEBSH convention
I thought the Haiti Alumni would be interested in a little report on the 76th Annual Convention of the MEBSH, that ended this morning. I estimated about 10,000 people there this morning--inside and very crowded all around the Simon tabernacle. The five-day convention featured some very strong biblical preaching--messages of encouragement and hope as well as pointed challenges to faith, holiness and consecration specifically directed at Haitian cultural trends. I thought Pastor Bresil's message on Thursday afternoon was particularly poignant. It was a great encouragement to have such a long-standing respected leader of MEBSH present and preaching the Word of God.
In addition to this, the MEBSH official workers meeting on Wednesday morning featured two speakers from the Féderation Protestante d'Haïti who challenged the pastors to have a more prophetic ministry in society. The coordinator, Edouard Paultre, addressed four key areas: justice, integrity, good governance and the environment. Then a man named Pastor Valery spoke on the roles and characteristics of the O.T. prophet and how pastors today fill that role. I was incredibly excited to hear this kind of development in the Christian community and found their presentation very consistent with the OT Prophets class that Steve Buerer and I taught last spring at the Bible School.
MEBSH's leadership is becoming more decentralized under Pastor Alneve's administration. They are working on establishing a MEBSH office in Port au Prince besides the one at Cité Lumière. Although they have had regional directors for a long time, they specifically ordained them this morning with more of a sense of leadership, rather than just logistical purposes. Chavannes Jeune is the regional director for MEBSH churches outside of Haiti, which currently includes the DR and Sint Marteen. One of my former students is the new pastor at St. Marteen.
There were some new leadership positions established. Jean Admettre is the new general administrator/coordinator of institutions, besides continuing as Intitut Biblique Lumière/Faculté Théologique Evangelique Lumière (IBL/FTEL) director. Jean Chery is the director of the Evangelism department and Thomas Plaisimond the director of the education department (overseeing MEBSH's 364 primary schools and 39 secondary schools). Both Pastors Chery and Plaisimond are new FTEL graduates. Also, Napoleon Lusson was named the vice-chancellor of Université Lumière, where Chavannes is the rector.
The current and ex-presidents of MEBSH formed their own commission to pray for the political leadership of Haiti, including the current and living ex-presidents of Haiti (Duvalier, Manigat, Aristide, Preval, Martelly) and to resolve to be upright examples of leadership to the country. The living presidents of MEBSH are: Bresil St. Germain, Chavannes Jeune, Pelege Pierre, Luders Erase and Alneve Emile. All were present except Pastor Pelege. Pastor Alneve remarked this morning that only in the Gospel can you have four presidents together and not have any problems!
It is my passionate conviction that church leaders profoundly transformed by the gospel are the real hope for the inner change needed in Haiti's society. I am thrilled to be able to work with a devoted team of Haitian and foreign teachers to be tools in the Lord's hands for this good work. I am asking all of your "readership" to pray for us, that we will have the Lord's focus, His love and power, and the team that He desires to assemble.
Gratefully yours,
Sean & Heather Christensen, Worldteam missionaries (professor at the Bible School)
We thought you’d enjoy a little insight into the biggest happening on MEBSH’s and your Sister Church’s calendar!
