Haiti - it's NOT about "aid"

[grammafreddy]

http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/69 ... id-project

Church group planning Haiti aid project
by Grant Scott - Story: 69650
Jan 14, 2012 / 5:00 am

In just two short months, a group of 20 people from Kelowna and Revelstoke will travel to earthquake torn Haiti to help build a unique camp for children who have so little.

In March, the C3 Church from Kelowna will be leading a construction team to Haiti to help build Camp Mahanaim.

"We're heading over to work with an organization that's developed a sports camp," says Pastor Dave Olson.

"Right now we're trying to raise about $30,000 to help the project."

The camp is designed to host up to 200 Haitian school children per week teaching them health care, life skills, and how to live in a growing, changing world – all from a biblical perspective.

Camp Mahanaim also gives these Haitian children an opportunity to learn and experience various sports such as swimming, canoeing, track and field, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and numerous other activities which they would normally never have a chance to do.

Everyone on the team is paying their own way for the opportunity to help out on this unique project.

"In my experience with third world countries and kids, there's obviously a need to feed and everything else, but sports camps give them something positive they wouldn't ordinarily have," says Olson, who has previously done aid work in other third world countries like Cuba, and Nicaragua.

Haiti was chosen due to terrible conditions faced after the quakes devastated the island country, but also because of the groups ties and connections there.

"We have friends and contacts that we personally know that are working there. One of the guys on our team, his parents spend six months at least every year in Haiti, teaching and training and they have an orphanage there. In fact, his mom was injured during the earthquake," says Olson.

"And the people that were working with some sports camp are actually from Kamloops and we've known them for probably 25 years."

While getting away to a tropical island in late winter may seem more like a vacation, chances are, they'll need to get home for a rest after a very busy 10 days.

"We'll help them repair and fix up a whole bunch of stuff damaged by the earthquakes and the flooding, repair some dikes and rebuild some of the buildings themselves. There'll be a lot of work crammed in there," says Olson.

The C3 Church is at 2410 Ethel Street in Kelowna and offers a very interactive approach for its members and geared towards active participation in the community with an eye towards engaging a younger age group which often does not get involved in the church.

As a result, Olson estimates about 50 per-cent of his congregation falls into the 20-something category.

*snip*

Religions love disasters. They give them a chance to prey on the victims, the poverty-striken, the sick - and the young.

[Hmmm]

They also might be teaching them to live clean and moral lives and not continue in a course of life thats hurtful to themselves and others. Like it or not GF Biblical principles when applied results in happier people and a better quality of life. However I strongly am against churches causing masses to convert so as to get food and shelter. Thats different.

[Type_O]

We are c3 church, come to one of our worship services and see what God is wanting to do to help you live your best life.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

1) There is one God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

2) In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God; we believe in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His victorious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, His constant intercession and in His imminent return

3) In the person and work of the Holy Spirit with His fruits and gifts available in the Church;The bible is the living word of God – infallible, authoritative and everlasting, and the foundation of all Christian doctrine

4) In the existence of an evil spiritual being – the devil

5) In the spiritually lost condition of all people and the essential need for the ‘new birth’ by faith in Jesus Christ

6) In the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a gift available to believers subsequent to the new birth, with normal evidence of speaking in other languages

7) In the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism by full immersion in water for all believers

8) In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting separation from God

9) In the church being the body of Christ, and each member being an active part of a local church, fulfilling the Great Commission.

I have to agree GF. It appears to me that the religious conversion of these young vulnerable kids will play a big part of this aid project.

[grammafreddy]

There's a strong belief in voodoo in Haiti - that must drive these people nuts.

[zzontar]

I think it's about time for the people who are against this to form their own society to raise money to go build a camp in Haiti... what are they waiting for?

[grammafreddy]

I think it's about time for the people who are against this to form their own society to raise money to go build a camp in Haiti... what are they waiting for?

I'm sure they are there - they just don't blow their own horns like the religions tend to.

[Captain Awesome]

Shame on people for trying to help other people.

How dare they...

[grammafreddy]

Shame on people for trying to help other people.

How dare they...

That's not exactly where the "shame" fits, CA.

[Type_O]

The C3 church would do well to pool their resources with an existing organization, already in place ie: Hope for Haiti, as to what real needs exist (religion aside).

[zzontar]

Even though Haiti is mostly a Christian country anyway, what's the difference between trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects religion and trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects atheism?

[grammafreddy]

Even though Haiti is mostly a Christian country anyway, what's the difference between trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects religion and trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects atheism?

So, what makes this church more "right" than any other church? Why do they feel these people need their divine intervention to change religions or to give up what they do have in favour of what this church preaches? Why "transform" them? Why not just help them and let them have their own spiritual beliefs?

This isn't about atheism ... it's about helping under the guise of converting people (in this case young people) into what this church believes and teaching them what they have now for a spiritual belief is wrong.

The "help" is only a cover-up and a means to get at those young minds so they can brainwash them into their form of religion.

[Nebula]

I do not see anything in the story that states Haitians will be asked to change religions or adopt the beliefs of those going to help.

[zzontar]

Even though Haiti is mostly a Christian country anyway, what's the difference between trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects religion and trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects atheism?

So, what makes this church more "right" than any other church? Why do they feel these people need their divine intervention to change religions or to give up what they do have in favour of what this church preaches? Why "transform" them? Why not just help them and let them have their own spiritual beliefs?

This isn't about atheism ... it's about helping under the guise of converting people (in this case young people) into what this church believes and teaching them what they have now for a spiritual belief is wrong.

The "help" is only a cover-up and a means to get at those young minds so they can brainwash them into their form of religion.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Alliance_International

Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is a global network of atheist organisations around the world. AAI was founded in 1991.

AAI's vision is "to transform society into one that understands and respects atheism;

[grammafreddy]

Even though Haiti is mostly a Christian country anyway, what's the difference between trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects religion and trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects atheism?

So, what makes this church more "right" than any other church? Why do they feel these people need their divine intervention to change religions or to give up what they do have in favour of what this church preaches? Why "transform" them? Why not just help them and let them have their own spiritual beliefs?

This isn't about atheism ... it's about helping under the guise of converting people (in this case young people) into what this church believes and teaching them what they have now for a spiritual belief is wrong.

The "help" is only a cover-up and a means to get at those young minds so they can brainwash them into their form of religion.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Alliance_International

Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is a global network of atheist organisations around the world. AAI was founded in 1991.

AAI's vision is "to transform society into one that understands and respects atheism;

ON TOPIC ... I said this story wasn't about atheism.

[Type_O]

Even though Haiti is mostly a Christian country anyway, what's the difference between trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects religion and trying to transform a group into one that understands and respects atheism?

Aid should be given without religious doctrine prejudice. There is a difference between sharing religious beliefs and transforming a group indoctrination.