A United Methodist missionary is back in Haiti to resume a ministry interrupted last February by political upheaval and civil war that led to a change in the government.

Charles Maddox of Louisville, Kentucky, arrived back in Port-au-Prince on April 12. He had left Haiti in February when the violence approached the capital. His wife, Patty Maddox, will join him in late April. She was in the United States when her husband departed from the island nation.

In a related development, the Rev. Paul Jeffrey, a United Methodist missionary in Honduras, will go to Haiti to work short-term with an ecumenical organization in data gathering and reporting on the aftermath of the recent conflict. In the course of the fighting, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced out and went into exile. A new government, backed by the United States, is still finding its way. Charles and Patty Maddox, who previously served in Ghana, work in Haiti with the Methodist Guest House, a facility that is the local base for many of the dozens of United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (UMVIM) teams that visit the island nation each year. UMVIM teams were withdrawn and suspended when the fighting became intense two months ago. More than 700 people serve on volunteer teams each year.

The Maddoxes will consult with local Methodist leaders in assessing the factors that will determine when volunteer teams can safely return to Haiti. The International Red Cross reported on April 12 that serious security issues continue. Located in the hills on the north side of Port-au-Prince, the Guest House and its indigenous staff were not physically affected by the fighting in February. The Guest House is a joint project of the Methodist Church of Haiti, the General Board of Global Ministries, and the Caribbean Council of Churches.

Charles Maddox is a lay pastor in the Louisville Annual Conference and worked as UMVIM coordinator there before becoming a missionary. Patty Maddox is a lay speaker in the same conferences and has worked in both lay and pastoral roles. The couple has three grown children.

Mr. Jeffrey is currently assigned to the Christian Commission for Development in Honduras. A noted journalist and photographer, he writes extensively about the Church in Latin America. In Haiti, he will be working with Actions by Churches Together (ACT) in telling the story of the impact of the early 2004 warfare on individuals, families, and communities. ACT is an ecumenical humanitarian organization and frequent partner of the Board.

	See Also... Topic: GBGM news |  International affairs |  Geographic Region: Haiti |  Source: GBGM Press Releases
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Date posted: Apr 14, 2004