January 14, 2010

ASTORIA, NY – The Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches, is concerned for the conditions in Haiti, particularly because a member of its denomination, his family and staff are lost. With the help of several organizations that already have teams working in Haiti, including the Lutheran Orthodox Church, member of the AIELC, and our friends of the Church of Scientology, a very active search is undergoing for the whereabouts of the AIELC Bishop for the Caribbean, the Rev. Dr. Louis Marcel Pierre.

He joined the AIELC ranks since 2000. He has been working with several programs he has in Haiti, including a school for children and other social services agencies. He is an old friend of the Queens Federation of Churches, as each time he visited NY, he always wanted to visit the QFC offices.

Certainly we ask for your continuos prayers and thoughts for the people of Haiti and specially that Bishop Pierre, his family and staff are well.

We are receiving frequent reports about the search results, if anyone wishes to learn more and how to receive this reports, you may contact the offices of the AIELC at: mainoffice@aielc.org.

Future relief efforts and assistance are been planned through Global Aid Foundation, a humanitarian organization, friend of the QFC and AIELC, with the cooperation of LOC and other civilian and ecclesiastic organizations. In our experience, we have seen that after the initial rush to assist, there is a slow decay in the aid been offered. We know as a fact that much will be needed in the immediate future, therefore we ask you to start stashing clothes, equipment, such as refrigerators, stoves, etc. We will eventually ask for your financial contributions to rent the use of a container to send all this aid to Bishop's Pierre programs.

Association of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Churches