LAWRENCE: Haitian minister gives annual status report

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   When an earthquake struck Haiti two years ago, the walls of Harmony Ministries’ main church, school and medical clinic in Port-au-Prince came tumbling down — but not the Rev. Luc Deratus’ faith that the facilities would be rebuilt.
   The foundation of the church has been laid, the walls are going up and the columns for the balcony are expected to be installed soon, the Rev. Deratus told about 30 members of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. He spoke to the group Sunday afternoon during his annual visit to the church.
   The new sanctuary in Port-au-Prince will accommodate up to 5,000 worshipers when it is completed, he said. But for now, services are being held under a large tent. The school that was associated with the church ministry in Port-au-Prince also is being held under a tent.
   ”We are hoping that by next year, when I stand before you to give a report, the main church in Port-au-Prince will be ready,” said Rev. Deratus.
   The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville has supported the Haiti-based Harmony Ministries since 1991. The church established the relationship under the Rev. Dana Fearon III, the pastor emeritus, and it has continued under the Rev. Jeffrey Vamos.
   Since the earthquake, Harmony Partners for Haiti — a consortium of 10 churches and organizations in New Jersey, Maryland, Arizona and North Carolina — has been sending money to Rev. Deratus to buy rice and beans to distribute to needy families.
   The consortium also sends money to buy medicine, which is distributed through Harmony Ministries’ medical clinics to those who cannot afford it.
   The medical clinic at Port-au-Prince, which is sponsored by Harmony Ministries, is functioning “in an inconvenient place” under a tent, but “we are trying to do all we can,” Rev. Deratus said. The clinic — which is open to all Haitians — was destroyed in the earthquake.
   Harmony Ministries’ church and school in Leogane, which was close to the epicenter of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, also suffered damage. The church services and the school are being held under tents, he said.
   None of Harmony Ministries’ facilities in the mountain village of Thoman were damaged. A group from the Lawrenceville church was visiting Haiti on a medical mission trip on the day of the earthquake, but no one was injured because the members were en route to Thoman.
   Rev. Deratus said that in the village of LaSalle, where he was born, the walls are up for a new school but classes cannot be held until the roof is in place.
   ”We really value you because you care for God’s people. When we brag about (our relationship with) the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, it’s the truth,” said Rev. Deratus.