Step of Faith Ministry
-helping those in need: Haiti, New Jersey, and Worldwide
Step of Faith Ministry, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, evangelical Christian organization that provides spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Our desire is to help meet the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine; With the purpose of sharing God’s love through His son JESUS CHRIST.
Step of Faith, Mission
Step of Faith Ministry has many programs and missions at work both domestically and abroad. Founder Bob Hager was a New Jersey resident and local businessman. Beginning in 1989 he took a variety of short term missions trips to Haiti, amazed by the need of the Haitian populace, Step of Faith Ministry (SOFM) was born. The ministry now supports one full-time missionary, Pam Hess of New Jersey, who took on her current role in 2010. Through the efforts of Pam Hess, the founders of the ministry, and many other supporters, vital relief has been brought to local areas of New Jersey as well as several cities in Haiti including Ouanaminthe, Lac’ajue, and Port-au-Prince.
Step of Faith has worked to construct and support a medical facility in Haiti that provides much needed basic medical attention to the residents of the surrounding area. Through many generous sponsors and the hard work of those serving in Haiti, this vision has become a reality after many years of planning, and an enormous event in the lives of many suffering from curable ailments. Complete with it’s own clean water supply, the clinic is now open one day a week and has already proven to be an immense blessing to the residents of the area! The clinic is run by one Haitian doctor, and two Haitian nurses that were able to receive medical training through funds raised by SOFM and another ministry they’ve partnered with in Haiti. SOFM also offers a Nutrition Sponsorship program that assists orphans in Haiti to receive much needed food and nutrients to help in their fight against HIV, Hepatitis, and malnutrition.
This clinic will be life changing for the people in and around Lac’ajue!
Pam Hess, Step of Faith Ministry
The Charles G. Wright Endowment for Humanity is humbled to support the work being done by SOFM, specifically through the Grains of Grace Feeding Program and the Education Sponsorship offered. With starvation being a leading killer in Haiti, it has become abundantly clear where help is needed. The Grains of Grace Feeding Program began in 2012, and was able to initially feed over 340 people, or 50 families! A monthly $20 donation to this program provides 25 pounds of rice and 5 pounds of beans for a family in need. Feeding the starving people of these small towns in Haiti has grown since 2012, now regularly supporting the nutritional needs of 65 families in 2015! It was found that prior to this program’s origin most, if not ALL, of the supported families would go a day or more without food. Reports from Pam Hess, state that since the feeding programs have begun, they’ve seen healthier and happier kids returning to the Bible Camp each year, and healthier families all around. Keeping with our own mission, CGWEH strives to meet the needs individuals facing starvation and homelessness, and through the toil put forth by the founders of this program, a sense of food security is being restored throughout these Haitian villages.
“For the poor will never cease to be in the land, therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land’.” Deuteronomy 15:11
A recent update from Pam Hess states that the amount of families receiving the rice and beans has recently increased, with an amazing testimony behind the shift in numbers.
Usually Haitians look out for their immediate family only, because there are so many hardships there. However, due to all that is being poured into the community of Lac’ajue, with our liaison, Joseph Israel, whom we are blessed to have helping us…the people of Lac’ajue have recently done something amazing. Each month we send down enough money to provide rice and beans for 65 families. However, there are many more families in Lac’ajue that are starving. The people who have been receiving food since 2012 recently approached Joseph and told him that they want to divide their food each month so that more families can receive. This is unheard of in Haiti. For the past two months the families who receive rice and beans jumped from 65 to 90! We still send the same amount of money each month, but the people have divided up the food so that instead of receiving 25 lb. of rice and 5 lb. of beans, now 90 families receive 19 lb. of rice and 3 lb. of beans. This amount is still providing what is necessary to feed them all, and the families are all blessed! So, we changed our blog to read the above mentioned amount, that now $20 feeds 1.3 families!
Pam Hess, Step of Faith Ministry
Through the Education Sponsorship Program, individual sponsors are able to support children in Haiti during a year, or more, of school. For $540 per student, per year, the children are offered a quality education, and sponsors receive yearly progress reports. A year of tuition also covers the cost of books, a clean uniform, a daily meal, and medical attention for each student. The progress reports rate the performance of each child in a long list of subjects including Creole, French, Bible, History, Math, Science, Computer Technology, and English Communication. CGWEH looks forward to receiving the reports of the twenty students we support through this program from two different schools, including some interns and college aged individuals! SOFM itself supports and sends around fifteen students to school. Countless letters, photos, and heartwarming updates have been received by mail from the children benefiting from this sponsorship; and through this it is abundantly clear the success that has been achieved by Step of Faith ministry in these missions, both foreign and domestic.
To Learn more about Step of Faith Ministry, it’s programs, or how to contribute, visit their website by clicking here.
Written and Compiled by:
Laura Kathleen Wright
Charles G. Wright Endowment for Humanity
September 2015