Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti
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The Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti or Mission Evangélique Baptiste du Sud d'Haïti (MEBSH) grew out of the successful efforts of the non-denominational World Team, the Cuba Bible Institute and deported Haitian sugarcane workers from Cuba. Workers deported from Cuba returned to their motherland of Haiti and began to spread the gospel they had found.
In 1936, 3 American and Cuban missionaries began to work among these Haitians who had been converted under Baptist ministry while they were working in Cuban sugar cane fields. In 1937, the mission opened a Bible school in Les Cayes. On Christmas Day, 1958, MEBSH and World Team launched Radio Lumière[1] - a network of 9 radio stations, including a radio station, studio & television station in Port-au-Prince.[2] In 2013, the MEBSH had 488 churches with over 60,000 members and an estimated affiliation of over 200,000 regular church attenders,[3] making it one of the largest Protestant denominations in Haiti.[4] MEBSH also has one member church in the Dominican Republic and another in the Dutch sector of Sint Maarten, West Indies.
The MEBSH operates numerous educational, health and development institutions in Haiti:
- 413 primary and secondary schools
- University Lumiere, consisting of eight colleges ("facultés" in French),
- Two seminaries: Faculté de Théologie Évangélique Lumière aux Cayes et à Côte Plage,
- Bible institute: Institut Biblique Lumière aux Cayes,
- Women's domestic training center: Centre Lumière aux Cayes,
- Full-service hospital: Hôpital Lumière à Bonne Fin,
- In-patient clinic: Centre de Santé Lumière aux Cayes,
- Integrated Rural Development,
- Trade Schools,
- Well drilling,
- Orphanages,
- Youth Camp Mahanaim
Since 2012 the president of the Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti is Rev. Alnève Emile, who succeeded Rev. Luders Erase for a five-year term. Pastor Alnève initiated the MEBSH joining the Baptist World Alliance and the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship in 2013. MEBSH is also a member of the Protestant Federation of Haiti and the Evangelical Council of Haitian Churches.
References
- ↑ http://www.radiolumiere.org
- ↑ Conley, Joseph F. "Drumbeats That Changed the World," Pasadena, CA, William Carey Library, 2000, p. 396
- ↑ MEBSH's 2012 application to the Baptist World Alliance
- ↑ Johnstone, Patrick, "Operation World," (Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2001), p. 299
External links
- World Team - missions organization responsible for the formation of Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti
- University Lumiere - Wikipedia page in French
- Protestant Federation of Haiti - (in French)
MEBSH operates many of its institutions in partnership with evangelical mission organizations, including:
- Apostolic Christian World Relief
- Berean Baptist Church, Livonia, MI
- Compassion International
- Cross International
- Harvest International
- Loving Shepherd Ministries
- Reciprocal Ministries International
- World Team