Adventist Church in Haiti Remembers Leader Who Died Suddenly

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Haiti recently mourned the loss of Lemec Jérémie, director of the Hope Media Center in Haiti, who died suddenly from a stroke on August 27. He was 50.

“We have lost one of the most committed collaborators in the leadership team of the Haitian Union,” Pierre Caporal, president of the Adventist Church’s Haitian Union Mission, said. “He was a passionate leader.” Caporal spoke during a packed memorial service held at the Université Adventiste d’Haïti in Diquini, Carrefour, on September 3.

“The entire church in Haiti will miss and remember him as a servant of God who liked to accomplish great things for Him on behalf of His people,” Caporal said. “We are longing to see Jesus coming in His glory to raise His people who are resting in the dust.”

Dhon Peter Lovensky, production director at the Hope Media Center in Haiti, shared that Jérémie was a man whose heart overflowed with tenderness and compassion. “Everyone has a special story with Jérémie. He was an enlightened visionary whose passion for service and love for his neighbor left an indelible mark on each one of us.”

Jérémie’s close friend Watland François, vice president of academic affairs at Haiti Adventist University, said he was devastated by the news. “We were not only close friends, we were like brothers,” François said. “He was the best man at my wedding last year, and he would be the one I think of every time I needed someone to help me out,” he added.

“His presence on the university campus was a great blessing for many,” François added. “Students gratefully called him ‘dad’ because he tried so hard to help them as much as he could.” He discreetly supported several families going through difficult times, even though he didn’t have much, François explained. “If there were only three words left in the vocabulary to sum up the personality of this man we all mourn today, it would certainly be these three words: humility, loyalty, and service.”

A week before Jérémie died, François said he and Jérémie had talked about implementing a project they were working on together. “Life will never be the same without him,” François said.

Inter-American Division president Elie Henry spoke during the service via video from Mexico. Henry remembered Jérémie studying in the secondary school on the campus of the university. “When he studied at the Adventist university, I had the opportunity to teach him,” Henry said. “He was a bright student and is leaving a legacy in Haiti. His voice has been silenced, but the Lord will bring us all together when He comes to be with us for eternity.”

Jérémie’s dream was for the Adventist radio station to reach his entire country, church leaders said. He had been planning to launch fundraising activities throughout the churches in Haiti on September 22.

Born on March 20, 1974, Jérémie began his ministry in 2000 as an intern pastor at the Auditorium de la Bible Adventist church, and later he led several church districts. In December 2003, he married Clara Olga Sanon, and they had three children, Carl, Mecarlens, and Claritza. He served as programming director at Voix de l’Espérance Adventist station, before becoming assistant communication director of the Haitian Union Mission. He completed a master’s degree in pastoral theology in 2015 from the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary. In 2021, he was ordained as a pastor, and during that year, he became the first director of Hope Media Center in Haiti. Jérémie also taught theology at Haiti Adventist University.

His eldest son, Carl, 18, said that apart from his role as a pastor, Jérémie was a devoted father, a mentor, and a man of deep values. “He taught us practical skills, but also life lessons, such as selfless service and unwavering faith in God,” Carl said. “My father was always available despite his many responsibilities. He instilled principles of simplicity and left an immeasurable legacy of human and spiritual values, which continue to guide his loved ones and the community.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.