Haiti Lutheran Ministry and Mission Fund is an IRS recognized, non-profit, tax exempt religious corporation established in 1994 to assist in financially supporting the planting and growth of Lutheran churches in Haiti. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by IRS rules. (Tax I.D. number: 68-0327187)
Officers/Directors
Paul Klenner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Rev. James Beyer, Vice President
Alvin Kruger, Secretary
R. John Jones, CPA, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
Officers/Directors receive no compensation; there is no paid staff. All administrative and travel expenses are more than covered by directors’ donations so that you may know that every dollar you give actually reaches Haiti.
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A Snapshot of the Lutheran Church of Haiti as of April 2009
· 192 Church congregations
· 44,150 Church members.
· 32,475 Average Sunday church attendance
· 200 Lay pastors
· 135 Elementary Schools
· 21,850 Students
· 540 Teachers
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· 261 Evangelists and Deacons
· 390 Sunday school teachers
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Donated funds are wired monthly, if not more frequently, to the account of the Lutheran Church of Haiti, and are used to assist with such expenses as:
- Elderly care home – for elderly men and women who would otherwise be homeless
- Orphanage – usually about 25 boys at any given time
- T.V. and radio ministry expenses - reaching most of the country with Christian programming
- Stipends for primary school teachers where student tuition is inadequate
- School lunch program – a noon meal of rice and beans
- Purchase of water filtration units to supply clean water for each of our 135 schools
- Initial investments to start credit unions that lend to our 40,000+ church members
- Initial investments to purchase breeding stock to start goat herds
- Emergency food supplies and disaster recovery funds for when a hurricane or tropical storm devastates an area where we have churches
- Purchase and distribution of fruit and vegetable seeds, along with training on how to cultivate them
With our help, the Lutheran church of Haiti is moving toward financial self-sufficiency, however, it may be years before that goal is fully realized. The church has established a number of for-profit enterprises that generate funds that cover about 1/2 of the church's budget of $23,000 U.S. per month. They also provide jobs for church members. Some of these enterprises are:
- Credit unions (initially established with donated funds)
- Goat herds (initially established with donated funds)
- A computer training school for the public that generates income from tuition. Most of the computers were donated by businesses that were upgrading to newer equipment.
- A sand and rock quarry on the outskirts the City of Gonaives, purchased by the church with a bank loan that is being repaid; the final payment will be in December 2009 . The quarry is now generating a significant monthly net income for the church..
- A concrete block manufacturing operation at the quarry (homes in Haiti are typically built using concrete blocks)
- A bakery, primarily selling bread. The previous facility was severely damaged by flooding in September 2008. A new site must be located and all equipment replaced.
- A thrift shop selling donated clothing
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE MINISTRY UPDATES VIA EMAIL, PLEASE SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ALONG WITH THAT REQUEST. YOU MAY ALSO REQUEST INFORMATION FROM HAITI LUTHERAN MINISTRY PRESIDENT, PAUL KLENNER, IF YOU WISH.
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