St. John’s has partnerships with the parish of St. Philippe/St. Jacques in Gressier, Haiti; a Catholic mission in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala; and the village of Nueva Providencia in Guatemala.

Haiti Partnership
The Haiti Partnership Program is about growing together in Christ through relationship. St Johns has been in partnership with the parish of St Philippe & St Jacques in Gressier, Haiti since June, 2007. St Johns Haiti Partnership Committee meets regularly to coordinate plans for working with St. Philippe & St. Jacques and their rector, Father Kerwin Delicat, and for making visits to Haiti.

The earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010 gave renewed impetus and urgency to our partnership. The residents of Gressier and surrounding areas suffered great losses, and both the church and school of St Philippe & St Jacques were destroyed.

St Johns is committed to a long-term relationship with our Haitian friends and partners as they rebuild their homes, schools, churches and their lives. Each year we raise significant funds to provide support for the school at St. Philippe & St Jacques. We organize two medical missions a year. In 2012, we hope to help rebuild the school.

If you would like to be part of the Haiti Partnership or travel to Haiti, please contact the chair of the Haiti Committee, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Guatemala Partnership
Since 2009 St. John's has made annual trips to Guatemala to work with the Catholic Mission in San Lucas Toliman on the shore of Lake Atitlan in the western highlands. Recently we have begun to narrow our focus even more and are beginning to partner with a small village outside of San Lucas Toliman called Nueva Providencia. Nueva Providencia was created after the coffee crash of 2000, when coffee prices dropped precipitously and the coffee plantation, whose land the village now owns, went bankrupt. Then, in 2002, a massive landslide destroyed the village of El Porvenir, leaving those that survived homeless.

The mission at San Lucas bought the land from the finca and relocated former finca workers and the survivors from El Porvenir to the land that has become Nueva Providencia. Consisting of about 45 families, Nueva Providencia now has a school, a water system and the beginnings of a solar-powered electrical system. Currently under construction is a small hydro-electric generating system.

St. John's has worked on the water sytem, the hydro-electric system and is helping to raise money for a new footbbridge to be constructed in May 2012.  In August we will install some fuel-effiecient stoves and do more repair on the water system.

Our next trip is scheduled for July 29th - August 7th.  We will spend 5 days working in the village and then have a couple of days to see the sites. Cost is $1500 and the trip is open to anyone high school age and above.  Younger people can also go if accompanied by a parent or guardian.