Retired United Methodist Relief Executive Dies at 89

The Rev. Dr. J. Harry Haines, director of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) from 1966 to 1983, died on March 29 at the age of 89. He suffered a heart attack in Eugene, Oregon, where he and his wife, Loma, lived in retirement.

“Harry Haines was a saint, a model of Christian commitment, hard work, and inspiration,” said the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries, the parent organization of UMCOR. “For years he was Mr. United Methodist Relief, rallying the church to aid people affected by natural disasters, wars, and poverty.”

Haines, a native of New Zealand, was a missionary in China in the 1940s and later in Malaysia. He then worked in the division of interchurch aid, refugees, and world service of the World Council of Churches.

At UMCOR, he was a tireless advocate for service to those in need and for education about the impact of poverty and political oppression on millions of people.

“He was a man of great energy and contagious hope,” Day said. “He wrote widely on the themes of mission and humanitarian assistance, which he saw as closely linked. He was a dynamic speaker, and loved nothing more than to visit congregations to tell them the story of how the church responds to disasters and humanitarian needs."

He wrote seven books published by Abingdon Press, a part of the United Methodist Publishing House, including an analysis of China and its 20th century political revolutions. Haines continued to be active on behalf of mission after his retirement.

Haines was a strong supporter of economic self-development of people in poor countries and among the marginalized in more affluent regions. He was quick to observe the growing global gap between the richer North and the poor South. In 1984, shortly after his retirement, Haines made an urgent appeal to the church to “realize that we’re living in a bitterly divided world [and] we have limited resources, therefore, we have to be specialists in designated areas in the least developed countries.”

J. Harry Haines was born on June 29, 1917. He and his wife, the former Loma Housley, the daughter of missionaries, married in 1944. Two of their four sons predeceased him.

Haines received his early schooling in New Zealand, Australia, and England. He was awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Maryland University, Westminster, and his theological degree from what is today Wesley Theological Seminary. He held the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Princeton University.

He held membership in the Virginia and Switzerland annual conferences of The United Methodist Church. Haines served for 38 years with the General Board of Global Ministries and its predecessor organizations, including his 21 years as a missionary. Plans for a memorial service in the near future are pending.