REHOBOTH - Pastor Dennis Baril clings to many moments from his four trips to Haiti, but one stands out.

It was the day he and several others from his church, Community Covenant in Rehoboth, were being driven around the poorest areas of Port-au-Prince by the wife of Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis. Then she played a tape of Louis Armstrong singing "What a Wonderful World."

That was her vision for Haiti, she told the visitors.

"I lost it," Baril said. "I was bawling in the car."

The church team came back committed to the country that is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but one where Baril sees great hope. "I got an image of people trying to make things work in this country," he said.

He was speaking of the leaders of this island nation that has been plagued by years of political upheaval, broken infrastructure, and the kind of poverty that is wrenching to witness.

While many other mission groups over the years have focused on helping the Haitian people directly, Community Covenant has instead embarked on a project to reach their leaders, who have the power to bring about change.

In November, the church group returned to Haiti to present a taped version of the Global Leadership Summit, an annual program sponsored by Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and aimed at building strong leaders in local churches.

The presentation in Haiti attracted more than 200 people from, not only churches but also government and business, and was such an encouragement to the Rehoboth team that they are already planning another conference next year that they hope will draw many more participants.

"How did we get to do this?" Baril wonders now as he considers the connections his church has been able to establish with some of Haiti's most notable people in business and government.

He sees God behind everything the church has accomplished, beginning with its commitment several years ago to be a host site for Willow Creek's annual August leadership conference that is broadcast by satellite to more than 130 locations.

As a host, the Rehoboth church invites area pastors and church leaders each year to hear nationally-known speakers offer advice on good leadership practices.

In 2006, one of the key speakers was Bono, the lead singer of U2 who has made it his mission to combat poverty and Aids in Africa.

"He rocked our world," Baril said of the rock star's talk. "It changed us." Members of Community Covenant were particularly taken with Bono's challenge to get involved in the war on poverty by going to Africa, so Baril and a couple of other church members decided to do just that. Then someone suggested they go to Haiti instead, and someone from the church who grew up in Haiti suggested they start at the top where real change is possible.

That gave them the idea to bring the leadership summit to Haiti, so they went to Chicago to meet with Willow Creek representatives and got their approval, then flew to Haiti with the names of five influential people they hoped to contact.

What resulted, Baril said, was "the most incredible experience I ever had of being led by God."

They were able to connect with business owners and government officials, and also with the prime minister's wife, who lent her support and appointed her oldest son as an ambassador to the summit.

They also accepted her invitation to tour the capital city to get a first-hand look at conditions. While the streets of the city are safer than they used to be, Haiti is still a dangerous place, Baril said, and the new government is still very fragile as it tries to hold together a country where everything seems broken.

But the Community Covenant team was able to establish relationships with some of the churches, and was able to organize and promote the summit on its earlier trips by meeting with people, circulating brochures, running radio ads and appearing on a local television station.

Finally the summit was held at a newly-renovated conference center, and the taped presentation featured speakers like former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Pastor Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church.

Another one is being planned for next fall, and the hope is to set up a church team in Haiti that can eventually take over the conference so Community Covenant can take on other social service projects and continue raising money to fund the annual summit, which this year cost about $50,000.

While Haiti has had some bad leaders who have exploited their people, it also has a lot of good leaders, Baril said, and the goal is to inspire and challenge them.

"If you change the top, the whole country changes," he said.