Give to grow our EngageMI partners Posted on March 31, 2026
~ photo courtesy Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI)
The Gardens of Hope campaign supporting our Haiti ministry partners shares an update on progress and stories from two congregations that have raised at least $350 toward the campaign’s $200,000 goal. With only two months remaining, has your local church donated yet?
GLENN M. WAGNER
Michigan Conference Communications
At the 2025 Michigan Annual Conference, lay and clergy members voted to approve a year-long campaign raising $200,000 to transform our Haiti covenant partner communities through sustainable agriculture, education, and healthcare initiatives.
There are only two months left in the campaign, and now’s the time for each United Methodist church in Michigan to step up and raise at least $350 toward this new initiative. Together, we can plant seeds in Haiti that will multiply and grow for years to come.
This map shows the geographic locations of our mission partners in Haiti. ~ map courtesy Gardens of Hope
As of March 1, 2026, offerings for this campaign have been received from 151 of 550 Michigan United Methodist congregations, totaling $88,342. The Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force thanks you for your faithful generosity in helping our connectional ministry to meet life-changing needs in Haiti.
The Michigan Conference has had a long-standing covenant relationship with communities in Haiti, particularly those served by our three EngageMI ministry partners: Grace Children’s Hospital and Outpatient Clinic, Haitian Assets for Peace International (HAPI), and Jeremie Rising (a partner of Next Generation Ministries). Watch and download videos featuring each partner.
Half of the dollars raised for the Gardens of Hope campaign will go to support these three partners. These established ministries, already supported by many local churches in Michigan, have grown and are poised to bring continued life-giving services to communities in Haiti.
The remaining dollars will be invested in a new Haitian partner, Grassroots Community Voices Foundation (MUSO), which will build solidarity in Mizak and Jeremie through a community-based microfinance and savings program. Read this earlier news article to learn more about MUSO and how this new relationship will grow a future rooted in dignity, resilience, and hope.
Has your congregation given to the Gardens of Hope campaign? Download fundraising ideas. To inspire you, here are stories from two congregations that have given to the campaign in support of our siblings in Christ living in Haiti.
Grandville UMC
Rev. Mona Joslyn is a passionate supporter of the Michigan Conference’s Gardens of Hope campaign.
Joslyn is an ordained United Methodist pastor who has led congregations in Michigan for more than 30 years. She currently serves as pastor at Grandville UMC in suburban Grand Rapids.
Mona Joslyn grew up on a farm in Athens, a rural community south of Battle Creek in Calhoun County. After getting her college degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo with a major in agricultural science, Joslyn developed skills in caring for others as a medical assistant in a surgical oncology practice for 13 years.
Joslyn followed her strong call to ministry with theological training at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She credits her experiences participating in and leading mission trips with adults and youth from her congregations over the years with transformational growth in the love and service for Christ for participants and recipients.
Pastor Joslyn serves on the Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force and wholeheartedly supports the Gardens of Hope campaign, having participated in mission trips to Haiti. She has met and worked with our mission partners there. She knows the desperate needs, has seen the fruits of the labor, and has been blessed by lives changed for Christ, including her own, as a result of her trips to Haiti.
A pumpkin decorating contest during Grandville UMC’s fall Pumpkin Party in the Park helped raise money to support the Michigan Conference Gardens of Hope campaign. Pumpkins are special for Haitians, symbolizing freedom and resilience. Pumpkins were considered a delicacy by French colonizers and forbidden for those they enslaved, so for Haitians to be able to consume something proudly that was once denied to them is empowering. ~ photo courtesy Grandville UMC.
Joselyn still recalls a powerful God-moment during a mission trip to Haiti. One of the Haitian beneficiaries of an earlier trip learned of her mission team’s return to the island and walked miles down a steep mountain to thank them in person for their work.
In support of the Gardens of Hope campaign, Grandville UMC’s Mission Team enthusiastically endorsed the effort by first showing the 11-minute Gardens of Hope compilation video at church. This video features the Haiti mission partners speaking about their life-changing work, discussing the need, and expressing gratitude for the help in ministry. Grandville UMC combined their receipt of an offering in support of this mission effort with their 2025 fall Pumpkin Party in the Park, an outing in a public park near the church.
Their congregational party featured community-building activities, such as a pumpkin decorating contest, which invited participants to decorate their pumpkins and then vote for their favorite by placing their Gardens of Hope offering in cups next to their pumpkin of choice.
The event also featured a pumpkin rolling contest with pumpkin candy treats for successful pumpkin rollers. The Grandville group welcomed two new families who were in the park that day and invited them to join the festivities. Joslyn noted, “It felt good to be out and growing a healthy community for Christ while also supporting this important mission effort to share the love of Christ.”
In addition, a special pumpkin was placed at the church as a receptacle for Gardens of Hope campaign offerings for those unable to attend the Pumpkin Party at the Park. These efforts raised more than $1,400 in support of the Gardens of Hope campaign for ministry in Haiti.
Grand Haven: Church of the Dunes UMC
Rev. Lou Grettenberger, pastor of Church of the Dunes UMC in Grand Haven, was raised with a heart for missions. Grettenberger was born in Argentina as the youngest child of a United Methodist missionary family. He has a legacy of missions in his upbringing. Grettenberger’s father, George, also served in leadership roles for the former West Michigan Conference Haiti Task Force and the West Michigan Conference Board of Global Ministries.
After returning to Michigan from his missionary service in Argentina, and while continuing to serve as a pastor in West Michigan congregations for the rest of his ministry, George Grettenberger made multiple trips to Haiti and was instrumental in helping establish a vital mission connection between Haiti and Michigan United Methodists.
Lou Grettenberger’s grandmother, Edith, was a valued leader for both the United Methodist Women (now known as United Women in Faith) and the board of trustees (as the first woman to serve) at Grand Rapids: First UMC.
Lou and his wife, Karen, began their married life together in Atlanta, Georgia, while Lou was studying for ministry at Candler School of Theology, serving as house parents in a home for troubled youth. They have continued to grow their family, comprised of their biological children, adopted children, and foster children. Their family now includes children and grandchildren from many nations, including Haiti.
The Gardens of Hope campaign to support proven efforts at sharing Jesus’ love in helpful ways in Haiti naturally resonates with the Grettenbergers, as well as with members of Church of the Dunes UMC and the Grand Haven community. Others involved at the church and in the community have participated in past mission trips to Haiti, visiting mission centers and providing water filters.
When the issue arose at a church leadership meeting about supporting the Gardens of Hope campaign, the decision was a wholehearted yes. Church of the Dunes values its history of support for United Methodist ministries with strong global connections and is aware that we can collectively do far more for others than any one of us can do on our own.
Give now to the Gardens of Hope campaign.
Download fundraising ideas for your local church.
The publication of this article was made possible thanks to generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.