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  1670 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724  ·   (516) 692-6368  ·   Give

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January 2015 Delegation

“Haitian people want to laugh, despite it all. They want to laugh, love, dance, and sing. If you put a generator on, music will come out of it.”

So observed Syncia Cajuste, one of 11 travelers who visited Haiti with St. John’s in January 2015.

Well, ok then – when in Deslandes! For six days and five nights, did we ever laugh, dance, and sing! And, most of all, love. Pere Jeannot and our partners at Ecole St. Matthias spoiled us with their hospitality – we wanted for nothing in a place where the basic necessities are anything but a given.

Our merry (and intrepid) band of travelers included Laura Swiggett, Jamie Wylie, Isabel Hanson, John Henry Hanson, Anne Dubosque, Alexandra Whitcraft, Townsend Weekes, Diana Collins, Heather Spehr, Syncia Cajuste and Evans Raphael. 2 airplanes, 13 duffel bags, 3 jeeps, 3 donkeys, 2 dugout canoes and a small army of school children got us there. A village of open arms and hearts received us. Within minutes of our arrival, balls were being thrown, paper airplanes were flying, small hands were slipping into big ones, as peels of laughter and a comical mix of Kreyol, French and English filled the air.

We were home.

Every trip to Haiti is a new experience, a “first time," even for those who have been before. The group is different, the country is different, conditions at the school are different. The children have grown up! So have we. We are gaining in confidence and feeling more at ease. Our relationship with our partners has deepened. There is less “them/us” and more “we." We now resist idealizing or stereotyping. A sense of trust has grown. We can handle the truth.

January 2015 Highlights

The truth is difficult. We have a lot, and they don’t have enough. Enrollment is down, tuition is a stretch for many families, and the teachers haven’t been paid in a year. Damn (Merde, ouch, darn – whatever word we are allowed to say in ASJ). Our meeting with the teachers was difficult and moving. I cried. They hoped that we could help – we knew we couldn’t/shouldn’t in the way that they were hoping. A frank and compassionate conversation reminded all of us of the dangers of a dependent relationship. Short term fixes are not the answer. But wouldn’t a band-aid make us all feel better?? Yes – briefly. Instead, we agreed to work on sustainable, long-term solutions that might enable us each to stand on our own feet, side by side, with dignity and strength.

Micro finance for an income producing goat project and a water purification system seem like possible ways forward. There will be others, too. But first there is a building to finish – let’s get those youngest students out from the sun and rain and under the shelter of a roof.

“I feel haunted, but in a good way,” says Jamie. “Our friends are in pain, and live a painful life. It’s my pain now. That’s my reality and I choose it. The pain and the love co-exist very naturally, which is an unnatural state for me here. Down there, you can’t avoid it. It’s with you all the time.”

At the end of the day, what ALL of us want, despite it all, is to laugh, love, dance, and sing. To turn on a generator and have music come out.

If you have an interest in learning more, or pushing beyond your comfort zone, please email us at stmatthiasp[email protected] We would love to talk to you.

– Laura Swiggett

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St. Matthias Fellowship, Haiti October 2016 Delegation 2016 Haitian Fête January 2016 Delegation 2015 Haitian Fête January 2015 Delegation

Sermons

  • Jan 3 | The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach
    Sermon for the 2nd Sunday After Christmas
  • Dec 27 | The Rev. Mary Beth Mills-Curran
    Sermon for the First Sunday After Christmas
  • Dec 25 | The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach
    Christmas Day
  • Dec 13 | The Very Rev. Gideon L. K. Pollach
    Sermon for the 3rd Sunday in Advent
  • Dec 6 | The Rev. Mary Beth Mills-Curran
    Second Advent

© St. John's Episcopal Church
1670 Route 25A
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
(516) 692-6368

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Service Times

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, all services will be online. Please join us or livestream worship here.

SUNDAY SERVICES

  • 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
  • 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist or Morning Prayer
  • 10:00 a.m. Youth Formation & Worship, Nursery Care

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St. John's Episcopal Church
1670 Route 25A
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724

Contact Us
(516) 692-6368

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Welcome to St. John's Episcopal Church! We invite all to join us at any of our worship services, and it is our hope that you will find a spiritual home here.

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St. John's Episcopal Church was the first religious institution to be established in Cold Spring Harbor. The first Episcopalian services were held in the little 18th century school house just above the site of the present church. The very first Vestry minutes, written in fine script on September 4, 1831, lists the founders who pledged $2,000 to build a new church.

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COVID-19 has reminded us of a deep spiritual truth in these last many months, it is that we are "One Together." One in mission. One in service. One in prayer. One in praise. One together. Join us in supporting our church.

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