Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed…”

Bringing Love and Hope to Haiti The Maranatha Ministry is a partnership between Cornwall Church in Bellingham, Washington, and Maranatha, an orphanage and network of churches and schools in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti. Our mutual goal is to bring God’s love and hope to those in need by providing for their physical and spiritual needs and by creating opportunities for education and employment. Our partnership began in 2001 when several individuals from Cornwall Church met Pastor Roger Benoit and Esther Orelien, Haitians who were operating Maranatha Orphanage in the village of Terre Noire, eight miles east of the city of St. Marc. With no outside source of funding at that time, Pastor Roger and Esther were struggling to feed the 32 children living there. To help meet that need, a sponsorship program was begun. Since that time, the program has expanded to provide Christian education and daily meals for 750 students attending four primary schools and one secondary school. While Terre Noire remains the hub of our ministry area, today sponsorships and donations also impact the lives of many children in the neighboring villages of Bertrand, Pont Sonde, and Timonet. An important goal of the Maranatha Ministry is to equip our students to be contributing members of their communities by providing opportunities for education and job skills training. Toward that end, Maranatha opened a professional school in 2007. This school prepares students for potential careers in sewing, cooking, and a variety of other fields. Our hope is that we can one day equip community members to start small businesses using these job skills. Another important goal of our partnership is to minister to the health of our orphans and community members. Plans in this area include improvements such as clean water, sanitation, livestock and crops, preventative health care, and a future medical clinic. The Maranatha Ministry provides hope and encouragement for many. Its schools provide an opportunity for children to learn about the love of Jesus. And a sturdy new church building, completed in 2007, has given Maranatha of Terre Noire the means to become a center for spiritual outreach throughout the community. Additionally, Cornwall Church regularly sends mission teams to serve, connect, and encourage those at Maranatha. To learn more about upcoming mission trips, check out the details here.

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