Charline G. Pierre

Miami, Florida: Church and Community Worker with Haitian Ministries

Charline G. Pierre is a United Methodist missionary assigned by the General Board of Global Ministries as a Church and Community Worker to the Haitian Ministry Project in Miami, Fl. She is working with the Florida Annual Conference to help

• Develop Haitian communities new outreach and evangelism ministries;
• Strengthen programs that assist with job training, immigration, and youth ministries
• Oversee after school programs
• Advocate with partner organizations for better education, safe neighborhood, and fairness in immigration laws
• Organize small group workshops;
• Coordinate and Encourage leadership participation in church and community activities

As a Church and Community Worker, Charline works with pastors and laity of four Haitian congregations in Miami that are located in deprived and violent neighborhoods. The churches assist with food vouchers and emergency services. There are after school programs in two of the communities. Adult Literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and computer classes are also offered.

"An after school program in Little Haiti or any of the Haitian communities is not a luxury, it is a life saver" for youth and children of the neighborhood," said Charline. She emphasizes that " it helps win lives for Christ, upgrade educational achievements, provide a safe alternative to street life, and lowers incidences of pregnancy, drug abuse and drug related crimes.

A native of Haiti, Charline completed degrees in Mass Communications and Office Adminstration and earned a certifcation in Bookekeeping at different colleges in Haiti. She also completed a BA in Psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fl. Prior to her current minstry as a Church and Community Worker, Charline served for a year and a half in the Evangelism Department of the Florida Confrence of the United Methodist Church (FLUMC). As a former clergy spouse, she also supported the ministries of the church where they served for five years.

Charline is an active member of Radar Memorial United Methodist Church and of the United Methodist Women. Her hobbies include sewing and writing. She is single and a proud mother of two teenage sons, Jacques-Chardly and Jacques-Love.