Baptists
in Haiti, Pioneers of Light
"My kerosene lamp flickers. The pre-dawn stillness is broken
only by the sound of crickets and the faint, rhythmic throbbing
of a drum in the distance. No, there is another sound, drifting
down from some faraway hillside on the soft night air..."
Thus begins Ivah
Heneise’s fascinating narrative of the Baptist mission work
in Haiti, from its beginnings in 1823 to the present. Skillfully
interwoven with missionary letters, this account brings to life
those intrepid pioneers who carried the gospel to a country whose
people desperately needed it.
In 1947, Ivah and
Harold Heneise were appointed as American Baptist missionaries
to Haiti, where they founded the first theological seminary in
that country. Beginning with three students in primitive grass-roofed
buildings, over the years they created a classical curriculum
on an attractive modern campus. While teaching Church History,
Mrs. Heneise realized that there was no integrated account of
the Church’s presence in Haiti. Her research resulted in
a doctoral thesis, on which this book is based.
Endowed with energy
and initiative, she also assumed leadership in responding to critical
needs in the community such as summer camps, an adult literacy
center, vocational arts center, elementary school, and an open-air
clinic.
After 40 years of
service in Haiti the Heneises retired, moving to northern Florida
in 1991. When the Seminary was expanded into North Haiti Christian
University in 1994, the Heneises co-founded the International
Christian Education Fund as an instrument of support. Mrs. Heneise
died in 1999.
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Priced US$20 each.
To order, call 888-346-4233
or 904-284-9239.
To order by credit card,
go to www.HaitiHopeFund.org and click "Donate Now".
In the "Special notes" section, type "Please send
Pioneers of Light".
For information about the
French version, click on this link:
http://www.icef.org/haitihopefund/en/news/index.php/articles/173
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