A coalition of churches and ministries in the US is beginning to form around a Northeast Hub and a Southeast hub.
Jim Pierce of Love Aflame! Worldwide and The Love Church in New York State initiated the Tents2Haiti campaign upon returning home from a week serving with a Love Aflame mission team that was mostly focused on orphans and food distribution. Jim is organizing the Northeast Hub in the city of Elmira, New York. He is also maintaining this web site.
Pierce connected with long-time friend, Mark Swiger of Mark Swiger Ministries now based in Charlotte, South Carolina and soon the Southeast Hub concept emerged. Pierce and Swiger were in Haiti in September of 2009 where they partnered together to conduct a pastor's seminar and outdoor gospel meetings in Carrefour on the western edge of Port au Prince. Carrefour in now known as the location of the epicenter of the devastating quake of January 12, 2010.
Mark has taken on several roles as things begin to get moving. He is coordinating volunteers and organizing collection sites. Mark has secured warehousing space and trucking for the Southeast collection hub.
Jim Stearns, also of The Love Church and a project manager for Lockheed Martin in Owego, New York, is investigating tent and shelter manufacturers.
Jeff Barlow of True Christianity of Elmira, New York, is working the media angles for the North collection hub in the same city.
Stefan Bishop is scrambling to get some graphic art renditions of Tents2Haiti.
Heritage International Ministries is supplying warehouse space for the Southeast Hub and intends to use Morningstar churches as collection centers.
Other major Hubs may form around heavy clusters of collection centers in the days to come.
In the meantime there is work being done to develop a distribution network of churches on the Haiti side to ensure that a speedy and orderly alloting of the tents takes place. Partnerships for both ocean and air freight shipping are also being sought.
This is a short-lived project spanning only six to eight weeks, so speed is critical in order to beat the worst of the rainy season in Haiti.
Consider this an invitation for you, your church or your ministry/organization to get involved. Together we can put badly needed rooves over the heads of those who are now almost completely exposed to the elements.
It has been heartwarming to see the body of Christ working together to ease the suffering of a poor nation that has been tested beyond anything most of us have seen in our lifetime.
