Haiti: A Message from Steve Wells, South Main Baptist Church

Just as my pastor does, I believe that the local church is the hope of the world. No time is that more true than in times of disaster. Like Hurricane Katrina, and now, the disaster in Haiti. Long after other relief agencies are gone, the churches will still be caring for communities. I know, because church like mine (South Main Baptist in Houston, Texas) have missionaries who live in other parts of the world. We are blessed to have these folks present to worship with us maybe once a year. My church also sponsors mission trips several times a year, during which members of our congregation go to places, among others, like Mexico to do construction and Peru to provide much-needed medical and dental services. Those of us who stay behind help with tasks to contribute to the completion of these missions. For these reasons, I take this time and space to share with you a message from Steve Wells, Senior Pastor of South Main Baptist Church.



As you are no doubt aware, the island nation of Haiti has experienced massive devastation in the wake of a serious earthquake and a series of aftershocks. We need to pray for the people of Haiti, and we need to add our efforts to our prayers. The finance and missions committees have authorized a special offering to provide relief to the people of Haiti. We will receive the offering for the next two weeks. Monies given to this offering will be forwarded to Baptist World Aid, the relief agency of the Baptist World Alliance and to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Both BWA and CBF have people in country now and will have an ongoing ministry presence in the years to come. CBF has field personnel in country and BWA directly relates to the two national Baptist conventions on the island. So the monies we provide will be distributed through established and ongoing networks. You can learn more about the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship on their website (thefellowship.info) and the Baptist World Alliance on their website (bwanet.org). Please pray for the people of Haiti and if you feel led to help financially, please give to this special offering by marking your check or envelope "Haiti." Grace and peace, Steve