FIRST HAITIAN BAPTIST CHURCH OF KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA, INC.

A history of the formation of the church

The First Haitian Baptist Church of Kissimmee, Florida, Inc., was organized and established by the Reverend Louis W. Lubin and his wife Andrée Lubin in June of 1987. Reverend Lubin came to Orlando, Florida in 1986 and immediately under took the initiative to begin a Baptist church in the city of Orlando.

Reverend Lubin visited the existing churches at that time and decided that another congregation was needed. With the help of a few friends, Reverend Lubin searched for a place where such congregation could begin. However, no one had a place of worship or a hall where he could begin his church, all doors were closed. Reverend Lubin concluded that perhaps God did not want for him to establish a church in the city of Orlando.

Therefore, in January 1987, Reverend Lubin began exploring the cities surrounding Orlando. During his explorations, the Holy Spirit led him to consider a city just 17 miles outside of Orlando called Kissimmee. Reverend Lubin and his wife did not know of anyone who lived in Kissimmee, in fact they did not even know where Kissimmee was located.

However, on a Saturday morning in January of 1987 Reverend Lubin and his wife decided to follow the road signs which led to Kissimmee to determine what kind of city it was. During their trip to Kissimmee, Reverend Lubin, put God to the test and ask Him that if it was His will for him to establish a church in the city of Kissimmee, to send a Haitian person to greet them upon their arrival.

That Saturday morning, Reverend Lubin and his wife arrived into the city of Kissimmee and decided to go to the nearest Supermarket, stand by the door to determine if any Haitians came in or out. They turned on a street called Benita and were encouraged to find several black people in the area. To determine if any of these individuals were Haitian, Reverend Lubin and his wife parked their vehicle, got out and began walking down Benita Street. As they were walking, a gentleman approached them and asked: Pastor Lubin is that you? Yes, it is, Reverend Lubin replied. The gentleman introduced himself and stated that his name was Florentin Agenor and that he attended Reverend Lubin’s church in North Carolina. At that moment, Reverend Lubin lifted his eyes towards the heavens and thanked God for he had received the sign he asked for.

Reverend Lubin began to explain to Mr. Agenor of his intentions of beginning a church in Kissimmee and inquired if Mr. Agenor knew of any Haitians in the area. Mr. Agenor stated yes and requested that we begin the church at his house. Mr. Agenor took the initiative to tell every Haitian in the community and that following Sunday a church service began with six people in Mr. Agenor’s living room.

Six months later, Reverend Lubin approached the language mission director at the Greater Orlando Baptist Association (GOBA) and expressed his desire to establish a new congregation. GOBA contacted the First Baptist Church of Kissimmee, FL who agreed to sponsor Reverend Lubin’s Haitian congregation. In June of 1987 Reverend Lubin’s church became the mission of the First Baptist Church of Kissimmee. The mission was known as The First Haitian Mission of Kissimmee, FL.

Reverend Lubin’s church remained a faithful mission of the First Baptist Church of Kissimmee for twelve years until attendance grew from six members to over 200 in worship attendance. The First Haitian Baptist Mission was incorporated into an independent church on September 27, 1999 under the name of First Haitian Baptist Church of Kissimmee, Florida, Inc.

Rev. Louis W. Lubin & Andrée Lubin