In 1986, God's providence had
pushed Pastor Joel Demosthenes to move from Allston Brighton, a suburb of
Boston, where he lived with his young family, to come and reside in Lynn, a
coastal town in Massachusetts.
In 1988, Officials of the
Massachusetts Association of American Baptist Churches, called TABCOM, which is
a branch of the American Baptist Churches United States denomination, had
learned through Washington St. Baptist Church that a growing number of Haitian
immigrants were establishing themselves in the northern coastal region of New
England. They contacted Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church in Waltham where
pastor Joel was a member of the pastoral leadership. A vision was then shared
to consider the viability of a Church project in Lynn to reach Haitians living
in the region. Pastor Joel was commissioned to lead this project.
