Recent Changes in Our Mission

Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 November 2010 23:35 Written by Administrator Tuesday, 01 December 2009 00:00

For more than two years, KMF has provided books and funds to fulfill the purposes which were stated by the Concordia Theological Seminary Class of 2007, who founded the organization. In that time, KMF has received more than $100,000 in donations which constitute a perpetual fund that will yield fruit year after year to further the cause of the theological education of confessional Lutheran pastors in Haiti.

This is no small blessing, and we thank the Lord of the Church for giving success to this endeavor. Those who have been involved in KMF, both on the board and in the field, have been richly blessed by being a part of this grassroots charitable organization that addresses the greatest need in Haiti-the need for shepherds who deliver Christ in Word and Sacrament.

During this time, some important milestones have been reached. Most notably, the ELCH has been able to receive accreditation for their seminary, Concordia Theological Seminary-Haiti (CTSH). The accreditation, granted in November, 2008, is for an initial period of five years. The accreditation means that CTSH can grant the degree of Bachelor of Theology to seminary graduates-a degree that will be recognized worldwide.

The existence of an accredited seminary raises a key question: how are the Haitians going to fund its ongoing operation? The seminary holds classes in four regional centers in Haiti in order to reduce the cost and risks of transportation, but the fact remains that Haiti is a difficult place to operate. An offering plate passed around a sizeable congregation on a Sunday might yield an offering of $2-3 US-that's not a lot of money. The people are that poor. Hurricanes and tropical storms devastate towns, wash out roads, and inundate gardens, leading to starvation and high death tolls. Lay preachers that are on a path to ordination cannot feed their families if they depart full-time employment in the secular sphere in order to attend seminary instruction. One need after another is presented to these people, and books alone aren't enough.

There are many groups that operate in Haiti with different spheres of interest: KMF provides theological books; another charity provides meals for Lutheran school children; another supports orphanages; another sends a container of basic human-needs supplies; the list goes on. However, the frank reality is that these disparate efforts are uncoordinated. Although well-intentioned, there is a great deal of inefficiency in the way Americans are operating in Haiti. We send lots of materials, but they lack the very basic necessities of life. These require hard cash.

Last December, President Marky Kessa of the ELCH approached KMF with a question: Could KMF expand its role to become the chief fundraising entity for the ELCH, to not only train pastors in Haiti, but to help with the operational costs of the church body and her seminary? The KMF board discussed this on a conference call with President Kessa, and a follow-up meeting was scheduled for January, 2009 in Fort Wayne. At those meetings, a framework for accomplishing this was discussed in some detail. This plan was codified into a document, the 2009 Protocol. This document has been updated since its original production, and its final form is freely available here: 2009Protocol.pdf

The Protocol defines a restructured Kurt Marquart Fund which has a more broad mission to provide operating capital for the ELCH and CTSH. The reconstituted KMF would retain the theological education fund as a perpetual endowment, and would continue to grow that fund.

The new organization needs volunteers as we significantly ramp up our activities in anticipation of providing material aid every month to help the Haitian Church in real ways! KMF is a 100% volunteer organization. If you are interested in seeing the volunteer opportunities available at KMF, please click here: Volunteers Needed

Frequently Asked Questions

When were these changes implemented?

In November, 2009, the changes to our Bylaws became effective. However, it is in the aftermath of the January, 2010 earthquake that this new model is first being exercised.

Whose idea was this?

We have implemented these changes, after months of assessment and planning, at the request of ELCH President Marky Kessa and other ELCH leadership.

What happened to the perpetual fund for theological education?

The Theological Education fund (TEF) is held separately from the funds KMF uses for its broad mission for the Church in Haiti. Those funds remain a perpetual endowment for theological education of pastors for the people of the ELCH, and are managed (as before) by men from the CTS class of 2007.

Will the theological education endowment continue to grow?

Yes! When undesignated offerings are received by KMF, 10% is put into the Theological Education Fund, 10% in another long-term endowment (see below), and 80% is given to the Chruch in Haiti for general church and seminary needs. If a donor wanted to donate only to the TEF, he/she could designate that by a letter accompanying a check (or simple notation in the memo field) designating "TEF" or "Education" or words to that effect.

What's this about a second endowment?

KMF is intent on providing not only operating capital, but a future for the ELCH and her seminary. The Theological Education Fund is one permanent endowment, which provides for theological education of pastors in Haiti. But a second, more broad endowment, The Kurt Marquart Endowment (KME) has been established that will provide operating capital for the ELCH's holistic needs in the future. This second, general endowment is the preferred target for large bequests and other very substantial donations.

Like the TEF, the KME is a permanent endowment which does not contemplate the expenditure of principal, but only of earnings. The KME earnings will accumulate and compound until October 31, 2017, the five-hundredth anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. Beginning at that time, the earnings which accrue each year will be given as operating capital to the ELCH and/or CTS-H.

Is it wise for KMF to send funds directly to the Church in Haiti?

We believe that our brothers and sisters in Christ, who live in Haiti, have the same objective that we do: to preserve and build up, by God's pure grace, a Church in Haiti that teaches the doctrine handed down from the Apostles of Christ, recovered by the blessed Reformer, Luther, taught by Lutheran Orthodoxy through the centuries, and continued to our present day in the official teachings of the LC-MS and other orthodox Lutheran church bodies around the world. In light of our shared objective, we must work together to meet the holistic needs of the Church.

In Haiti, the most daunting challenge is extreme poverty. The context in which the Church in Haiti operates was unimaginable prior to the January, 2010 earthquake there. After that cataclysm, it defies description. There is not, nor can we expect there to be in the nearterm, any indigenous source of capital to fund the bare essential operations of a church body and seminary in Haiti. In light of this, we bow to the reality of the challenges, and the reality that our resources are given us in trust, so that we might help our needy neighbor

Many times in the past, American organizations have sought to provide funds for the Haitian Church "with strings attached." The result has often been that the Haitian Church leadership were invited to petition the Americans, who would decide what/when/how much to provide to them, and under what conditions. By seeking to "control" the money, such relationships were often doomed to failure.

Our philosophy is different. KMF provide funds to the Haitians. The Haitians use them according to their discretion, and report how they used the funds. This simple philosophy has the benefit of being self-regulating: if donors don't like the way funds are being spent by the Haitian Church, they will stop giving. The other benefit is inestimable: we invite the Haitians into a relationship of mutual trust and respect.

For more on this philosophy, and the way KMF helps the Haitian Church, see the 2009 Protocol document: 2009Protocol.pdf

What is the relationship of KMF to LC-MS World Relief and Human Care, and other organizations working in Haiti?

KMF is an independent volunteer organization, and is not an LC-MS RSO. However, KMF are glad to liaise with LC-MS to share information and coordinate efforts. We have recently worked with LC-MS World Relief and Human Care staff in the aftermath of the January, 2010 earthquake, and thank God above for their pragmatic, rapid, and effective response to the crisis. As our efforts in Haiti coincide, we will continue to liaise with LC-MS to enhance the efficiency of both organizations for the maximum benefit to our Lutheran brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Similarly, KMF seeks liaison with other Lutheran organizations working in Haiti, particularly those engaged with the ELCH. Such liaisons are a good context for sharing information and coordinating our activities to bring the maximum benefit to the ELCH and her seminary. If you are a part of another effort in Haiti, we would love to hear from you!

Special Provisions for Earthquake Relief

During the period from January 12, 2010 through February 28, 2010, all donations received by KMF that were undesignated were used for earthquake relief (100%), and notice to that effect was given on the web site and in mass mail communications. Those funds were expeditiously sent to the ELCH for acute crisis needs.