Yves's broad smile is instantly welcoming. His joy is infectious as he begins to tell me his story in passable English, tinged with a heavy Creole accent. Yves is the pastor of our only Haitian church, Église Baptiste Nouvelle Jérusalem. Their congregation joined our association this past spring. Previously, they met at Crievewood Baptist but now gather at Community Bible Church in South Nashville.
Yves grew up in Milot, Haiti, a village near Cap-Haïtien in the north of the island. His family was devoutly Christian, but he fell away from the faith when he was around thirteen or fourteen years old. By divine providence, his older sister was registered for a Christian youth conference but was unable to attend. Yves decided to go in her place, and this became a life-changing event for him; he returned to Christ and felt called to ministry.
He later attended a seminary in Port-au-Prince, the capital, but transferred to a school in Limbé to be closer to home. There, he studied Greek and Hebrew as part of his pastoral training. After graduation, Yves pastored four different churches across Haiti.
In September 2010, while pastoring a church and serving as the principal of a school, Yves faced a grave challenge. His assistant principal, apparently envious of Yves's position, became unhinged and took drastic action. In October of that year, the assistant paid a mob to set fire to Yves's home while his son was inside. That night, Yves received a text informing him that his son had been kidnapped.
Yves's church, with around 500 members, assembled that night to pray desperately for the boy’s release. In a remarkable turn of events reminiscent of Paul and Silas’s miraculous release from prison in Acts 16, Yves’s son was freed in the middle of the night after being held for just one day. He wandered the streets until he stumbled upon a radio station, where, inexplicably, he found a school friend who helped him return home safely.
Despite this ordeal, the assistant was never arrested, and Yves felt compelled to flee to the United States. He initially found work as a security guard and later became a math teacher, eventually bringing his wife and children over a few years later.
In 2019, Yves was called to be the pastor of the First Haitian Baptist Church of Nashville, now renamed Église Baptiste Nouvelle Jérusalem. He faithfully serves his congregation of Haitian Americans who have relocated to Nashville.
Ways to Pray:
-Pray for Haiti and its new government, as parts of the country are plagued by gang violence.
-Ask the Lord if your church might partner with this Haitian congregation.
-Pray that Église Baptiste Nouvelle Jérusalem continues to grow in faith and numbers.
-Pray that Pastor Yves and the church serve as a witness to the Haitian community for God.
Brett Boesch
Connections Strategist
bboesch@nashvillebaptists.com