OMS International (formerly
the Oriental Missionary Society) opened work in Haiti in 1958, assuming
the operation of Radio 4VEH. Radio 4VEH (The Evangelistic Voice of
Haiti) offers Christian programming on AM (830 Khz) in French and
Creole and on FM (94.7) in French and English to an estimated audience
of 300,000. Since that time the ministry has expanded to include the
Bethesda Medical and Dental Center, Emmaus Vocational Bible College,
and Cowman International School. Medical and dental clinics minister
to the needs of 150+ patients per day. Emmaus Vocational Bible School
is training approximately 35 students for ministry, with as many more
involved in professional training. Every Creature Crusade evangelism
teams have established preaching points and planted churches, which are
now organized and registered with the government as the Emmaus
Fellowship of Churches.
Radio 4VEH
" The Evangelistic Voice of Haiti" located in Cap-Haitien, Radio
4VEH was founded in 1950 by Rev. G. T. Bustin of the East and West
Indies Bible Mission. In 1958 ownership of the compound containing
the radio studios, along with several churches, was transferred to
OMS.
Original programming uniquely blends a wide variety of Christian
broadcasts with general interest programs. The station,
licensed by the Haitian government, is politically neutral and
non-commercial. One 10,000-watt AM transmitter on 840 KHZ
broadcasts French/Creole programs 18 hours a day to an estimated
listening audience of over 300,000. FM Stereo 95 presents music
and programs in French and English 18 hours a day to the over 200,000
inhabitants of the greater Cap-Haitien and surrounding areas.
To allow an even greater number of people to hear the message of
Jesus Christ, the station distributes pre-tuned, solar-powered
radios, eliminating the need to replace batteries. An annual youth
rally culminates three months of special summer programs for youth,
and more than 700 students, (mostly young people) are studying God's
Word through 4VEH's Bible correspondence course.
A staff of approximately 30 Haitians and a small missionary team
work together in a ministry with eternal consequences. One astounding
example is the testimony of a converted voodoo priest, well known in
the Port-au-Prince area. Monsieur Ludovic proclaimed his amazing
story during a weeklong series of evangelistic meetings recorded for
rebroadcast on 4VEH. Listener response, immediate and intense,
included the spiritual about-face of a long-time voodoo priestess in
a remote mountain village who accepted Jesus Christ as her personal
Savior as a result of the program.
Bethesda Medical and Dental Center
Haitian
Christians presently staff the Bethesda Medical and Dental Center.Â
Originally trained by OMS missionaries, the full-time personnel treat
over 30,000 patients at the medical clinic and 5,000 at the dental
clinic yearly. In addition, retired missionaries and medical/dental
professionals assist the nationals on a part-time volunteer basis. The
medical clinic also operates prenatal and well-baby programs that
assist over 4,000 mothers and babies a year. Each mother who brings in
her newborn is given a layette, and each baby who receives regular
check-ups for a year is given a toy - a great motivator for the moms.Â
The center's primary purpose is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ
while providing good health care for Haitians.
Emmaus Vocational Bible School
OMS' training institution in Haiti is Emmaus Vocational Bible
School which opened in 1967. About 20 teachers are involved in
preparing 30-40 Haitian Christians each year to spread the Gospel of
Jesus Christ in Haiti's churches and communities. This year,
work has begun on a new computer lab that will add to the vocational
training offered at the school.
Cowman International School
Cowman
International School offers an elementary education, kindergarten
through eighth grade, from a Christian perspective. Originally begun
in 1960 to meet the educational needs of missionary children, the
school is open to other English-speaking families in northern Haiti. A
number of these children are from non-Christian homes, offering an
opportunity to present the Gospel and teach God's Word to children of
Haitian business and professional people.
Operated and staffed by OMS International, some of the teachers
are OMS missionaries, either short-term or career, while others
supply their own support base. An average of 30 students receive
instruction in core subjects in multiple-grade, self-contained
classrooms. Each day begins with Bible class or the weekly chapel
program, and throughout the day spiritual truths are integrated into
subject areas. The school is a member of the Association of Christian
Schools International.
OMS International has been sharing the Gospel in Haiti since 1958.Â
To learn more about them and their worldwide ministry, just visit the
OMS International website.
