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The Dedham Temple Haitian Seventh-Day Adventist Church opened its doors for a second service Saturday afternoon to pray for those caught in the fallout of the earthquake in Haiti.
The Rev. Philippe Emmanuel Joseph led the service at the Washington Street church, which was delivered in a mix of French and Creole. He encouraged his congregation to express themselves amidst the tragedy.
“Why did this happen?” he asked during his sermon. “This did not come from God … God is not a god of punishment.”
Congregant Jimms Salomon of Randolph said the faith of church members is keeping them strong even as some of them are still waiting to hear from friends and family members in Haiti.
“They are in good spirits,” he said. “We believe strongly that we can find our strength in God because there is no one else we can turn to.”
The 7.0 earthquake leveled much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 4:53 p.m. Estimated to be the strongest quake to hit Haiti in over 200 years, the death toll continues to rise and thousands have been left injured and homeless.
In the days following the earthquake in Haiti, the Washington Street church’s former pastor Jean-Robert Jean-Baptiste said he was “ hopeful that something will come out of this terrible situation.”
“But it’s a very sad one, a very painful one, all the churches are affected by it,” including Haitian congregations and Anglo churches with Haitian members, Jean-Baptiste said last Thursday.
The church, which serves about 160 people from Dedham and the surrounding area moved from Roslindale to Dedham Square two years ago.
Student pastor Samuel Ulett said many of the church members are still waiting to hear about the status of family in Haiti. In most cases, he said, someone in Haiti would call a friend or family member in the United States and that person would be responsible for passing news to everyone else here.
“A lot of members are mourning a loss and this (day of prayer) gives people the opportunity to grieve and relieve stress that they may not have at home or work,” said Ulett. “We share the same struggle and we’re able to support each other.”
Church member Margareth Morisset of Stoughton said she hasn’t been able to reach her teenage godson who is in Haiti.
“I have no idea where he is and when I call I get no signal,” she said at Saturday’s service. “All we can do is pray so we have the strength for any bad news that comes.”
The Dedham Temple Haitian Seventh-Day Adventist Church opened its doors for a second service Saturday afternoon to pray for those caught in the fallout of the earthquake in Haiti.
The Rev. Philippe Emmanuel Joseph led the service at the Washington Street church, which was delivered in a mix of French and Creole. He encouraged his congregation to express themselves amidst the tragedy.
“Why did this happen?” he asked during his sermon. “This did not come from God … God is not a god of punishment.”
Congregant Jimms Salomon of Randolph said the faith of church members is keeping them strong even as some of them are still waiting to hear from friends and family members in Haiti.
“They are in good spirits,” he said. “We believe strongly that we can find our strength in God because there is no one else we can turn to.”
The 7.0 earthquake leveled much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 4:53 p.m. Estimated to be the strongest quake to hit Haiti in over 200 years, the death toll continues to rise and thousands have been left injured and homeless.
In the days following the earthquake in Haiti, the Washington Street church’s former pastor Jean-Robert Jean-Baptiste said he was “ hopeful that something will come out of this terrible situation.”
“But it’s a very sad one, a very painful one, all the churches are affected by it,” including Haitian congregations and Anglo churches with Haitian members, Jean-Baptiste said last Thursday.
The church, which serves about 160 people from Dedham and the surrounding area moved from Roslindale to Dedham Square two years ago.
Student pastor Samuel Ulett said many of the church members are still waiting to hear about the status of family in Haiti. In most cases, he said, someone in Haiti would call a friend or family member in the United States and that person would be responsible for passing news to everyone else here.
“A lot of members are mourning a loss and this (day of prayer) gives people the opportunity to grieve and relieve stress that they may not have at home or work,” said Ulett. “We share the same struggle and we’re able to support each other.”
Church member Margareth Morisset of Stoughton said she hasn’t been able to reach her teenage godson who is in Haiti.
“I have no idea where he is and when I call I get no signal,” she said at Saturday’s service. “All we can do is pray so we have the strength for any bad news that comes.”
Yves Donastien, 51, a first elder of the church, said last week that he has many relatives in Haiti, some of whom are fine.
“I have my sister and my niece. My brother called early (Friday) morning. He told my sister he’s OK, my family’s OK, but my nephews, I haven’t heard anything about my nephews in Carrefour Feuilles,” he said last Friday afternoon, referring to the neighborhood in Port-au-Prince where they live.
The earthquake was centered 10 miles southwest of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“I have almost 20 nephews and nieces, I don’t have anything about them,” Donastien said, referring to phone networks that are down. “There is no contacting Haiti for now.”
The National Palace, cathedral, and three big hospitals all collapsed, as did many buildings in the suburb of Petionville, said Donastien
“There is a lot, a lot of things collapsed down in Haiti,” he said. “It is bad in Haiti now.”
Staff writer Edward B. Colby contributed to this report.
