Adventist Church in Haiti Remembers Leader Who Died Suddenly

Hundreds pay respects to Lemec Jérémie who was beloved by peers and members.

September 16, 2024 |  Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Jean Carmy Felixon and Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

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 Aug. 27, 2024. He was 50 years old.

“We have lost one of the most committed collaborators in the leadership team of the Haitian Union,” said Pastor Pierre Caporal, president of the Haitian Union. “He was a passionate leader.”  Caporal spoke during a packed memorial service held at the Université Adventiste d’Haïti, in Diquini, Carrefour, on Sep. 3, 2024.

“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,” said Caporal. “We are longing to see Jesus coming in His glory to raise his people who are resting in the dust.”

Production director at the Hope Media Center in Haiti Dhon Peter Lovensky, 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 in Université Adventiste d’Haïti, said he was devastated by the news. “We were not only close friends, we were like brothers,” said François. “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,” added François. “Students gratefully called him ‘dad’ because he tried so hard to help them as much as he could.” He discretely supported several families going through difficult times, even though he didn’t have much, explained François.  “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 he 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,” said Francois.

Inter-American Division President Pastor Elie Henry spoke during the service 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,” said Pastor Henry. “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 Sep. 22, 2024.

Born on Mar. 20, 1974, Lemec Jérémie  began his ministry in 2000 as an intern pastor at the Auditorium de la Bible Adventist Church, then he led several church districts. By December 2003, he married Clara Olga Sanon and they had three children, Carl, Mecarlens and Claritza. He served as programming director a Voix de l’Espérance Adventist Station, before becoming assistant communication director of the Haitian Union. 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 the Université Adventiste d’Haiti.

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,” said Carl. “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.”