Church Partnership
We visited this church in Chevri for the first time in the fall of 2021. It stands out in a small village with no other churches in sight. It has been there since the early 90’s. And despite being a very poor area, the church is supported by those who attend it. This causes the church to stand out as unique because very few churches in Haiti are dreamed up, started, and ran entirely by Haitians. Many are started by foreign missionaries and then handed off to locals.
Though it started with just a few families, the Chevri congregation has outgrown the building and leaves many people standing outside the makeshift doors on a Sunday morning.
Church Activities
Besides regular church services, the church has also recently started an elderly outreach program, focusing on elderly people in the community who are unchurched, have no family, or have come from a voodou faith background. These people are given a meal, lead in a Bible study, and helped with unique, individual, needs such as housing or farm work.
Not only are physical needs being met through this program, but the community is coming to see Christ’s love in tangible ways and some of the previously unchurched are beginning to attend regular services.
In February 2025 our team was able to visit this congregation again to encourage them and donate towards more materials. They were so grateful that they held a special prayer service for our home church here in the US (the Bridge Community Church of Leadington, MO). We continue to be blessed by the faith and devotion of this community!
Because of the fruit we see coming from this church family we have decided to partner with them. Not only to assist them financially, but to create mentorship programs within their church rather than starting up our own thing.
The well we are digging and the shower house will also be available for use by this church and congregation.
The Church’s Story
Pastor Batherlouis has been around the church since its start. He has a huge heart for his community and for reaching the lost, suffering, and those trapped in false religion. His wife actively supports his vision by cooking endless meals for the programs, church fellowship, and showing hospitality to anyone and everyone who visits. His son also has become involved in church activities and when the elderly program was started, he was the one who invited us to come and spoke to us about partnering with them.
We have been blessed to see the faith and resolve of this congregation on several occasions. We see so much potential for this church. We pray one day a road will be made between our area and theirs for greater partnership to be possible. For now we desire to help them as much as we can with the new church building construction. They began building a foundation over a year ago but with a lack of means the progress has been very slow.
The Remaining Need
We have been able to donate to this congregation on several occasions, but the work is far from finished. We estimate it will cost around $16,000 USD to completely finish building. It would be another $2,000 or so to furnish it with benches and a pulpit.
If you cannot give, please offer up a prayer instead! Pray for Pastor Batherlouis, his church, the needed funds to come in, and the continued growth and maturing of their congregation!