Bobonnee Church Plant

Although there are many missionaries and mission agencies here in Haiti, historically most of them have been limited to reaching places that are accessible by road. One of the distinctives of the ministry of our church is that we minister by traveling to people who are previously unreached by others (Rom. 15:20; 1 Cor 3:10; 2 Cor 10:15) due to such logistic restrictions. One such community is Bobonnee. It is not even identified on Google maps. Bobonnee is on our mountain, but it is a long distance from our hometown of Jubot.

Bobonnee Demographics

Bobonnee has approximately 2,500 people. The average age of the community is estimated at under 40 years old. It is an agricultural community. The people there engage in subsistence level farming or "farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer's family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade" (Britannica.com). The village has no churches or schools. Drinking water comes from the local river which also serves as the community bathing facility. Sanitation is poor and the surrounding bush is used as the latrine. Consequently, there is a high risk of cholera. There is no medical facility in their village. The closest medical aid for the few that can afford it is Leogane, which is at least half a day's travel on foot.

Bobonnee seems to have never had a church and has no Christian background. The people primarily believe in voodoo. As is typical of the Haiti general population, few people in Bobonnee are married and many are either living together while having children out of wedlock or are having children without even living together or maintaining a common law marriage.

Initial Ministry in Bobonnee

In November 2023, a friend invited me (Pastor Jeff) to visit Bobonnee. I had never been to this community before. Consequently, I took some time to explore their village by walking through and praying silently for the people. When I met some of the people and saw just how extreme their poverty was, then I was moved to preach the Gospel to them. After sharing this experience with some of the leaders at my church, we arranged to return to Bobonnee together to preach evangelistically for a week. 13 people made a decision for Christ and presumably got saved in the first week.

Current Ministry Status

Since there is no church in Bobonnee and there are no nearby churches, then our church has been holding services in their community weekly since November. Following our initial evangelism efforts, we have visited 79 houses and at least 30 people have made a decision for Christ. These 30-plus people are consistently attending the morning service. (The average sized church in Haiti is approximately 40–50 people.) The number of people in attendance is growing each week as the people of Bobonnee are open to the Gospel. Of the estimated 30 people currently in attendance, there are approximately: 12 adults (21–38 yr. old), 8 youth (13–19 yr. old), and 11 children (3–13 yr. old). Due to the low marriage and low cohabitation rate in Haiti, the 30 people represent approximately 3–4 couples who may or may not be married and represent an indeterminate number of families.

This new church is currently meeting weekly for worship in an open field under a semi-permanent tarp attached to posts. The people of Bonbonnee took the initiative to set up this tarp and are maintaining it against weather damage. One volunteer from our home church accompanies me every Sunday to lead worship and share the Word. Consequently, I am currently preaching three times every Sunday: once in Bonbonnee and twice in Jubot (regular service and prayer meeting).

Future Ministry Prospects and Needs

There is a current and future need for more leadership for this new Bonbonnee church plant. Since several elders from our home church in Jubot have been successfully trained to preach and lead, then they will increase their participation in the church plant over time after I have established a good ministry foundation in the new work. Our hope is that someone from the new church in Bonbonnee will eventually mature and be trained to take over leadership in the church plant. I am also looking into other leadership sources such as national Bible colleges and seminaries to find more help.

As we have done elsewhere and in accord with the community's need, we are hoping that God will provide the resources to run a medical clinic in Bonbonnee to meet the physical needs of the people and as a form of outreach. Some of you may recall that through these clinics we provide free medical exams/diagnosis, testing, and medicine. Further, some of you may recall that these clinics have been an effective form of outreach in other towns. We are tentatively planning to hold one of these clinics in Bonbonnee at the end of March or beginning of April.

The owner of the field in which the church plant is currently meeting is not a believer, but has granted temporary permission for the church to meet on his land under the tarp. We are currently negotiating a deal with him for a more permanent land use agreement, and we are also investigating other meeting locations for the church. Some time in the future, we will need additional financial support to help this new church plant to secure a permanent meeting location. As is typical in Haiti, the official church planting ceremony will not take place until they secure a permanent meeting location.

Our church is very excited about the work that God is doing in the Bonbonnee community. Please join us in prayer for the community and for God to accomplish his plan in the lives of the people there.