Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter

Rev Phillis Newby - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

The name Phillis Newby is little known among citizens of her native Jamaica. But in Haiti she is an icon of great respect among the churched and the unchurched.

The Rev Phillis Newby, 69, has been serving as a missionary to Haiti for the past 36 years where she has spearheaded the planting of more than 200 churches there. She has also left a trail of institutions and ministries which address some of the deep socio-economic needs of this French Creole-speaking nation - the poorest in the Western hemisphere.

Rev Newby was in the island earlier this month as guest of the Church of God in Jamaica. She returns in June to conduct seminars for the Constant Spring Church of God, located in St Andrew.

Hailing from St Ann, Rev Newby had her early schooling at Brittonville in the parish. Then she went to Kingston and attended Camperdown High School which in those days was an all-girls institution. She then worked in the civil service and worshipped initially as a Methodist, but before long she became a member of the Whitfield Town Church of God - a member congregation of the Church of God in Jamaica.

well-known choir

Young Phillis was an active Christian serving on many committees and was part of a well- known choir at the time - Youth Fellowship Singers. The group performed at a service at the Highholborn Street Church of God in Kingston, where the preacher was Rev Earl Massey, then president of the now defunct Jamaica School of Theology which was owned and operated by the Church of God in Jamaica.

He preached about the Nadab and Abihu - sons of Aaron who God killed after they offered Him unacceptable gifts. The sermon caused her to engage in deep introspection. She said to herself, "Phillis, look at all the many things you are doing for the Lord. You are secretary for this, you do that, you do this, but is this what the Lord wants you to do be doing?"

Not long afterwards, she resigned from her civil service job and enrolled at the Jamaica School of Theology, then located on Hope Road at the present site of the denomination's headquarters.

Among those attending the Bible school was a Haitian student. She befriended him and his family. After he graduated, she went to visit with him and his family in Haiti. While there, she sensed God telling her that He wanted her to serve in Haiti.

After Bible school in Jamaica, she pursued further studies at Anderson College (now Anderson University). But Haiti was still on her mind. On holidays, she would go to Haiti to give ministry assistance to her former schoolmate.

a teacher

After Anderson College, her denomination secured a job for her, but she declined the offer and insisted on going to Haiti. In July 1972, she landed in Haiti and began her career there as a missionary. She arrived in Haiti without strong assurances of financial support. She had no missions organisation supporting her or church. She was essentially living by faith.

Initially, she worked with the church that was pastored by her former schoolmate. Then she worked for an orphanage and became a teacher of English in a number of schools. Later she founded two orphanages which today accommodates more than 100 children.

She was determined to take the Christian gospel to the whole country. Today, there are 270 churches in Haiti that she has planted or co-planted with others. In Haiti, the churches that she planted or helped to plant fall under the banner of the Church of God of the Reformation Movement - known colloquially as 'Reformé'. It is one of the largest denominations operating in Haiti. These churches, she said with pride, are making a strong and favourable impact on the lives of the people.

The denominational administrative infrastructure is still a work-in-progress. There is not a strong denominational self-identity. Yet, she has declined from making herself the top leader of the Reformé churches - preferring instead to serve as an adviser to local pastors.

Her résumé also includes the establishment of one hospital, several clinics, a college where persons are trained in skills such as auto-mechanics, nursing, cosmetology, electrical, plumbing, computing; a few high schools, and more than 200 primary schools which altogether have about 40,000 students. At present, she is building a bakery in her village.

accomplishments

Rev Newby, who is extremely modest about her accomplishments, admitted that the French Creole spoken by Haitians was a challenge for her. But she eventually learned the language by her own study and just by being immersed in the culture.

She had many culture shocks. She tells the story of having to adjust to adverse living conditions. At the pastor's house where she lived for a while, there was not much privacy afforded her in the bathing arrange-ments because of the layout of the house. Also, the outdoor toilet facilities bore a foul scent which initially was hard for her to endure. Furthermore, that outhouse did not offer appropriate privacy. But after a while, her nose got conditioned not to smell anything.

A few times, over the years, her life was threatened by witch doctors. But she prayed and the Lord, she said, protected her. Rev Newby lives in a village called St Ard which is on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

In St Ard, through the work of her church and other congregations, the villagers, having embraced the Christian gospel, expelled all the witch doctors.

socio-economic ministries

The Reformé Church in her village, she said, has acquired a strong reputation for its socio-economic ministries. She gave a list of programmes/projects being undertaken by her village church which included various treats for children, the police and prisoners. Her village church also gives toys to non-Reformé congregations for their Christmas treats and other celebra-tions. There is also a project to give goats to needy families on the condition that when the first kid is born, it will be given to another family.

The St Ard church boasts a strong sports ministry. Football, in particular, is a used as a point of contact to share the gospel with the Haitian people.

The Reformé churches social outreaches include at least one yearly medical service in which a mobile clinic goes to various villages to offer free medical services and free prescriptions.

Haiti, with a population of almost nine million, has perhaps the most foreign missionaries per 100,000 operating there. Recurring political upheaval has caused many foreign missionaries, who are predominantly from the United States, to flee the country. Rev Newby has concerns about the calibre of service rendered by many foreign missionaries based in Haiti.

American missionaries

She said one of the reasons Haiti seems to have more American missionaries per 100,000 is in part the fact of its proximity to the United States. "The conditions are so horrible in Haiti that one can get a lot of sympathy funding and help by going to Haiti. With that kind of assistance, one can live better in Haiti than you live at home. A lot of the missionaries do not do what they are supposed to do. Many don't know the language. They might spend a lot of money and not get very much accomplished," she said.

Her advice to persons considering a career as a missionary in Haiti is to "be very, very sure that you are hearing from the Lord. And when you are sure that you are hearing from Him, make sure that His Holy Spirit is your all and in all. Resolve you are not going to move outside His Holy Spirit".

Send feedback to mark.dawes@ gleanerjm.com

More News Print this Page Letters to the Editor Most Popular Stories