St. Etienne’s Church and School
When the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, our partners at St. Etienne’s in the mountains near the epicenter of the quake were too far away from the capital center in Port-au-Prince to attract attention and relief. With the help of many people we were able to fly into Haiti through a missionary airlines, land on a road and make our way to the community we had worked with for three years, bringing a doctor, medical supplies and the hope that they were not alone. Over the next several months we purchased and collected items they needed and shipped a container to help them rebuild their lives. We spearheaded the raising of funds from many other churches to rebuild their church that had come down in the earthquake. It was dedicated in May, 2016. Our work with the community has included the building of an internet café with electricity and computers, various agricultural projects with the local farmers’ cooperative, small business loans to women and men, safe water projects, electricity projects and ongoing reforestation projects. Each year we take a group of young and old to the St. Etienne’s community for various work projects, cultural exchanges, shared worship and mutual support. The Revs. Tracy Bruce and Stephen Davenport are our liaisons. For a taste of the blessings of this shared ministry, please see the photo collection and the report of a recently completed project.
Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince
St. John’s has supported Holy Trinity Music School in various ways since 2006, including instrument collection and repair, relief and support after the 2010 earthquake, developing fundraising tools, organizing concert tours and supporting staff salaries in crisis. As the oldest music school in the country of Haiti, founded by the Episcopal Church in 1956, Holy Trinity Music School is the leader in music programs across the country. Music instruction is available to a diverse group of youth and adults who benefit from hours of lessons, theory instruction, rehearsals and a three-week summer music camp. The Music School performs throughout the country as the Philharmonic Orchestra and with various other ensembles, bands and choirs. Les Petits Chanteurs, a highly acclaimed youth choir, and an ensemble from the orchestra take an annual tour of the United States. Musicians from St. John’s participate yearly in the Summer Music Camp as instructors and we host musicians each year for several days on their tour. The Revs. Tracy Bruce and Stephen Davenport are our liaisons with this partner.
