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Stories & Blog
There’s Something More Powerful Than Big Guns
HAITI — In November 2020, local gang members infiltrated the church, school, and seminary campus of Crossworld-partner ministries in Bolosse, Haiti. Violence escalated in the community. Kidnapping and murder became an everyday threat.
“We can’t in good conscience ask students to come to campus, knowing the risks,” said the leaders at the Séminaire de Théologie Evangélique de Port-au-Prince (STEP).
So they vacated the campus and moved classes to another part of town.
Since this escalation began, people in the neighborhood have been living in terror, afraid to leave their homes. But when the seminary leaders met in May 2021, they sensed God leading them to act — not in aggression but in the power of the gospel of peace.
“This is God’s campus,” the leaders said. “These neighborhoods don’t belong to the gangs; they belong to the people who live here, who have lived here their entire lives.”
What would they do? Hold a prayer service for the community. On campus.
They announced their plans on the radio so everyone — including the gang members — would know in advance.
The morning of the prayer service, the STEP leaders met and drove to campus together. When they arrived, more than 100 people from the community were already waiting for them.
STEP faculty, students from the Maranatha grade school, members of the Bolosse church, and believers from the community assembled in front of the seminary library. Young people and old people alike gathered in the name of Jesus to worship God and ask for his help.
“It was a bold move,” said Crossworld disciple-maker Luke. “It was scary, but it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
The leaders stood in turn and spoke about the sovereignty of God and his perfect wisdom. The whole group, more than 200 people, sang hymns about God’s help and provision: “The road isn’t easy, trials are hard; nowhere is there a mountain God does not remove.” Then they prayed, re-consecrating the campus to the service of the Lord.
“The sheer courage of these high-profile pastors to walk into a dangerous situation,” Luke said. “It was amazing to watch them walk with courage, with nothing but a Bible in their hands, praising God.”
After the service ended, the people walked around campus, continuing in song and prayer as they went. They walked up and down the hills, past gang members heavily armed with machine guns, who listened and watched from the sides of the street.
Nothing has changed … yet. The gangs still occupy the campus and the seminary hasn’t returned to on-campus classes.
But the community’s message earned a new voice: God reigns, and his people won’t give up.
“It’s not fancy guns that make you powerful,” Luke said. “It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that makes somebody powerful, and the power of the Holy Spirit was present there. It was powerful and it was beautiful.”
Update as of 2023: Two years later, the situation in Haiti is worse than ever. The seminary hasn’t regained control of the campus yet, but the leaders hold onto their vision to transform their country by making disciples who make disciples. They've set up a new campus on the other side of the city, where they hold classes to train the next generation to be disciple-makers.
Despite ever-increasing challenges, Jesus is still building his church in Haiti ... no matter what.
“We can’t in good conscience ask students to come to campus, knowing the risks,” said the leaders at the Séminaire de Théologie Evangélique de Port-au-Prince (STEP).
So they vacated the campus and moved classes to another part of town.
Since this escalation began, people in the neighborhood have been living in terror, afraid to leave their homes. But when the seminary leaders met in May 2021, they sensed God leading them to act — not in aggression but in the power of the gospel of peace.
“This is God’s campus. These neighborhoods don’t belong to the gangs.” |
|---|
“This is God’s campus,” the leaders said. “These neighborhoods don’t belong to the gangs; they belong to the people who live here, who have lived here their entire lives.”
What would they do? Hold a prayer service for the community. On campus.
They announced their plans on the radio so everyone — including the gang members — would know in advance.
The morning of the prayer service, the STEP leaders met and drove to campus together. When they arrived, more than 100 people from the community were already waiting for them.
STEP faculty, students from the Maranatha grade school, members of the Bolosse church, and believers from the community assembled in front of the seminary library. Young people and old people alike gathered in the name of Jesus to worship God and ask for his help.
“It was a bold move,” said Crossworld disciple-maker Luke. “It was scary, but it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
The leaders stood in turn and spoke about the sovereignty of God and his perfect wisdom. The whole group, more than 200 people, sang hymns about God’s help and provision: “The road isn’t easy, trials are hard; nowhere is there a mountain God does not remove.” Then they prayed, re-consecrating the campus to the service of the Lord.
“The sheer courage of these high-profile pastors to walk into a dangerous situation,” Luke said. “It was amazing to watch them walk with courage, with nothing but a Bible in their hands, praising God.”
Young people and old people alike gathered in the name of Jesus to worship God and ask for his help. |
|---|
After the service ended, the people walked around campus, continuing in song and prayer as they went. They walked up and down the hills, past gang members heavily armed with machine guns, who listened and watched from the sides of the street.
Nothing has changed … yet. The gangs still occupy the campus and the seminary hasn’t returned to on-campus classes.
But the community’s message earned a new voice: God reigns, and his people won’t give up.
“It’s not fancy guns that make you powerful,” Luke said. “It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that makes somebody powerful, and the power of the Holy Spirit was present there. It was powerful and it was beautiful.”
Update as of 2023: Two years later, the situation in Haiti is worse than ever. The seminary hasn’t regained control of the campus yet, but the leaders hold onto their vision to transform their country by making disciples who make disciples. They've set up a new campus on the other side of the city, where they hold classes to train the next generation to be disciple-makers.
Despite ever-increasing challenges, Jesus is still building his church in Haiti ... no matter what.
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