Our History

   In 2000, Garret Robinson asked Clarke Long to help him  design and build  an irrigation system for bean and peanut farm that Garret owned in St. Michel, Haiti. In their journeys, they explored a nearby old dilapidated bread factory south of St. Michel in Debauche.  They met a group of people who gathered and a woman asked…”why God did not send anyone here to start a church?” This was the beginning of Clarke’s ministry to start a church there in Debauche. Debauche is a poor farming community with a scatter of huts where families have staked claim to farm and sell their crops in St Michel. Clarke asked two Haitian brothers, Carena and Zacharie Selmont to join him and start a church in Debauche that day. 

Clarke came back to Florida and met with his pastor, Paul Thompson of First Baptist Jensen Beach (FBJB) and the plans started for a church and school to be built in Debauche. The church started under a mango tree, moved to a hut then met in that old bread factory – which had no roof 

     In 2002 - A parcel of land was obtained in Debauche and new construction began. Pastor John Thompson of FBJB became the liaison who oversaw the the finances and leadership in Debauche.  With the assistance of Missionary Flights International in Fort Pierce, FL (MFI), FBJB began to regularly send supplies and volunteers to assist in both education and construction. They continue to this day. Church leaders took up leading these trips including Pastor Paul, Pastor John, Pastor Eddy Fredryk, Pastor Steve Sivley, Pastor Brian Stebbins and lay leaders such as Bill Tenny, Alan Good, Al Cannon, Alan Morris, and Tim Huggins (just to name a few of the many with hearts for the community in Debauche). They led youth and adult teams supporting sport camps, VBS, English language classes and campus construction and maintenance. 

    In 2004 - Pastor Jean-Marie Alexis, a Haitian immigrant and pastor at Bethel Haitian Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, GA took up residence in Debauche and became the pastor of First Baptist Church Jensen Beach in Debauche. Pastor Alexis led construction of the schoolhouse building with 10 classrooms, a library, and two small apartments. The apartments were for the school principal, M. Prosper and librarian/nurse Mme. Carole. 

In 2011 - Pastor Webert Charlier, Pastor Alexis’s cousin, became the full time pastor in Debauche.  Pastor Eddy Fredryk became the FBJB liaison.

    In 2012 - A six-foot wall surrounding the campus was built to secure the facility.  Also rain gutters were added to the school building along with a large cistern to capture rain water. No longer was the mile walk necessary to the small neighborhood spring.

    In 2014/15 -   A 3200 square foot multi purpose building was constructed with plans that included a kitchen, housing for 16 volunteer guests with two indoor  bathrooms. FBJB Haiti now had a church, school, dormitory, a fully functioning indoor kitchen, and a cafeteria. 

    In 2017 - With a special offering from FBJB a team was sent down to install fifteen solar panels on the roof of the multi-purpose building with a bank of sixteen storage batteries.  No longer was it necessary to attempt to pull start the old portable generator.  We had lights, paddle fans, and refrigeration! The only electricity in Debauche

    In 2018 – a new to FBJB Haiti, 2004 GMC Sierra replaced the old Mazda pickup

   In 2022 - While merging with FBJB, Family Church temporarily took over the financial support of the ministry.

  In 2023 - New roofs were installed on the church and school buildings.  

 In 2024 - With extremely generous  support from Calvary Baptist Church of Dothan Alabama, a new non-profit 501(c)(3) was formed to continue the needed support of the ministry.

• School, attendance remains at 160 plus children.
• Church attendance at around 100.