My husband, Ben, and I had the opportunity to go down to Miami one Sunday to shoot footage of two Haitian churches for a video to show at national conference this year. We belong to a fellowship of churches known as the Grace Brethren Church. Recently, two Haitian churches have joined our fellowship. We have partnered with them and are going on a mission's trip this fall to Haiti with some of the members of the churches. Here are some of the photos I took of their services.
The first church we went to was New Covenant Grace Brethren Church (which is technically in Ft. Lauderdale). They meet in the top floor of another church's building. The room seemed very big to me at first, but once everyone got in there, it was packed!
When we walked in, Pastor Henry was preaching. I assumed he was practicing his sermon because there was no one there. After a few minutes, he ended his sermon. He picked up a phone and talked into it. Pastor Henry had been preaching to a church in Nassau over the phone before his sermon at New Covenant church today!
View from the top floor of the church.
The children meet in a side room for Sunday School while the adults meet in the main sanctuary. They sing songs in English and recite Scripture in Creole. They learn a lesson and do a call and response with the main point.
A boy drums his hands against his Bible.
A girl sings and claps her hand to a song.
The young women met in the next room. Their sound equipment was also in this room as well as some boxes, so it was more cramped than the children's room. Like the children, the teacher of this group read a Scripture in Creole and the women repeated it.
Next I went to the zoom where the elders and deacons (I'm assuming? I could be wrong!) were meeting. Some men collected money from the Sunday School rooms and counted it. Other men discussed some things. They had the same booklet the other teachers were leading from.
The young men met in another room. They were discussing Noah and what it must've been like to be him while building the ark. Unlike the other two rooms, I didn't hear them speaking Creole.
A lady rang a bell outside the doors and Pastor Matt (our pastor who came with us) told me that means for them to wrap up Sunday School because church is going to start. The band played up front and some ladies sat up at the front and sang. They started out singing acapella until the band joined them. It was really beautiful! Ben and I were both impressed how they just started singing harmony without music.
Pastor Henry mentioned us being there for the video and thanked us for coming (in English).
The kids continued their church in the same room while the adults were out in the larger room. There was a new girl in the back who was very shy and they welcomed her.
Their service included worship, a reading of Scripture, prayer (all in Creole), and repetition of the previously stated things. We didn't get the chance to hear the pastor preach.
Their worship was really wonderful to experience. It was all in Creole so I couldn't understand it, but I loved listening to their music and watching them worship the Lord. The music was very soulful and beat driven and not something I had ever experienced in worship before.
The next church we went to was Mispa Community Church. Their building used to be a strip club and they converted it into a church. We came just as they were finishing Sunday School. Each group stood up and shared their lesson point and Scripture in Creole.
This young man is the church's drummer. He is quite the talented young man and kept a smooth, soulful beat even on an impromptu moment.
This is the entrance to the church. You an see the window where it used to be a strip club.
A young man read a Scripture in English. It was interesting the stark contrast of my ears listening to Creole and then English. While people read Scripture or prayed, the band played quietly in the background.
Pastor Dumont
Pastor Desir playing the guitar.
Pastor Luc giving the announcements. He mentioned us being there for the video.
I was really excited when Ben said he was going down to Miami to visit the Haitian churches. I volunteered to go too and am very glad I did. Their language and culture is so beautiful and I loved experiencing it. I didn't understand the Creole, but I understood their message of love and accepting God into your life. I caught myself swaying to the music and humming along, even though I didn't know the words. At our own church this Sunday, I missed their lively music and dancing. I hope we get to go back their soon and get a chance to meet some of the people. This visit, we were only taking pictures and we left before the services ended. It felt very intrusive and I was thankful that the pastors explained why we were there and interrupting their normal service. I would encourage those in our church to visit these churches if they get the chance. Not just to experience the culture, but to also worship the Lord with fellow believers.
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