CARIBBEAN BAPTISTS FACE DOWN CHALLENGES continued
Other leaders elected include vice presidents Lincoln Conner from St. Kitts, Dominic Dick from Guadeloupe, and Jacinth
Wood from Barbados.
The meeting received reports on the devastating earthquake in Haiti that occurred on January 12. An estimated 230,000
persons died in the 7.0 temblor near Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. Tens of thousands were left injured, and more
than one million left homeless.
Moïse Dorsinville, a consultant to the Baptist Convention of Haiti (BCH) and coordinator of its earthquake relief efforts, told
the CBF meeting of the extent of the devastation and the work that Haitian Baptists were doing in offering aid and relief to
the many thousands of victims.
Pinder reported on his visit to Haiti in February to assess the damage and to offer support to Baptists in the country. “My
observation is that Haiti is a country under siege,” Pinder said. “The streets are patrolled day and night by a very large
number of armed military personnel… including war tanks.”
Pinder indicated that “poverty and unsanitary conditions appear to be a major threat to health and satisfactory living
arrangements.” More than US$30,000 was collected by the CBF for Haitian earthquake relief.
Prior to the earthquake in Haiti, the Caribbean regional Baptist body offered pastoral assistance for general church
development in the Caribbean country; training in stewardship of the environment through soil conservation and
reforestation; offered scholarships in teacher education and theological education; assisted in a school feeding program
for more than 400 children; and offered aid in sourcing, storing and treating water.
The CBF, which represents churches in countries that are frequently affected by hurricanes and where several earthquake
fault lines exist, is making preparation to form a disaster relief agency. Each country is expected to appoint a country
disaster representative who will in turn represent the respective Baptist convention or union at the agency. The agency
is to act as a clearing house for information on disaster preparedness and response and will provide training in relief and
assistance. As part of the preparation of the formation of this agency, training in disaster preparedness and response was
held in June 2009 in Hollywood, Florida, with eight countries represented.
A concern of the region is the need for more opportunities in theological education and ministerial training. The Azariah
McKenzie Scholarship Fund, named after the first president and executive secretary/treasurer for the CBF, has been
established to help meet this need. Recipients would do their studies and training at Caribbean institutions, such as the
United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI), located in St. Andrew, Jamaica.
Bodies such as the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Baptist Convention indicated the need for trained leadership. Despite
reporting that Baptists are experiencing numerical and spiritual growth, all this is
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