The seed for First Haitian Church of the Brethren was planted in the heart of its founder Verel Montauban as a young boy. At
the age of 10 his parents enrolled him in one of Salvation Army’s Schools in Haiti, because they wanted him to go to a Christian
School. His parents were raised in Catholic background, and as a young boy, young Verel did not have a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. He attended Salvation Army’s Sunday School and Church service only because it was mandated by the school.
Four years later, young Verel met Rev. Alfred Pierre a Pastor of another Salvation Army Church in a different region in Haiti.
He befriended Verel and invited him to his Church. At that time, Verel still had not yet formed a personal relationship with the
Lord. At Pastor Pierre’s ministry, Verel heard the gospel preached in a way that he had not heard it preached before. Verel
began attending Church services on a consistent basis, and eventually became involved in the Youth Choir and Vacation Bible
School. It was in this large congregation pastured by Rev. Alfred Pierre that young Verel was convicted of his sins and made
Jesus Christ the Lord of his life.
Thus it was on a very warm day in June 1968 at the age of 14 in a Salvation Army Church, in Haiti that Verel Montauban accepted
Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. From then on Brother Verel continued his walk with the Lord with an ever-
increasing desire to bring more souls to the Lord. When he turned 18, Brother Verel joined the mission’s field, and began
preaching the Gospel throughout Haiti. It was at the age of 23, while working in missions field in Haiti, that Brother Verel met a
young woman (Sister Clarelle) who was also on fire for the Lord. They became close friends and Prayer Partners and they
continued to work along side each other in the missions’ field. Sister Clarelle and Brother Verel labored together doing Street
Ministry, Evangelizing and wining souls for the Lord where ever they went. They ministered to the poor and needy as well as
making time to visit the sick and praying for those who had lost all hope and were in Hospices and Hospitals.
As Brother Verel and Sister Clarelle labored together in the vineyard of the Lord, Brother Verel grew fond of Sister Clarelle, and
he eventually built up the courage to ask her to become his wife. She accepted and they were married in March of 1978. They
have been Partners in Ministry since that time. Immediately after they were married, they moved to Paris France and continued
to do Outreach Ministry while furthering their education in Seminary. Then eventually, they moved to the United States and
lived in Boston, Massachusetts where they had their first child. After having their first daughter Marilyn, they made the decision
to move from Boston to New York, and ended up settling down in Brooklyn New York. They now have four birth daughters and
one adopted daughter.
In Brooklyn, Evangelist Montauban and his wife enlisted the help of their daughters in evangelizing and continued to reach out in
prayer to people in need in their community. They began a prayer group in their living room in 1980 and eventually named the
Prayer Group the “Messengers of the Lord”. The group grew from 6 people in1980 to over 75 people in one year (1981). The
Prayer Group continued to meet in the Montauban’s living room for another 4 years and they engaged the group members in the
missions’ field of Street Evangelism. In addition to all of this the Montauban’s helped to build and strengthen other Ministries
before they planted their first Church.
The first Church planted by the Montauban’s was named “Trinity Church of God” and they helped to plant two more Churches in
Brooklyn since then. In 1987, Evangelist Verel Montauban was ordained by Bible School Education Center in the US. In 1991,
Sister Clarelle was working in one of Salvation Army’s Veteran Shelter and Reverend Earl Foster was supervising her. Rev.
Foster was also affiliated with the Church of the Brethren as he was and still is the Senior Pastor of the Brooklyn Church of the
Brethren. Sister Clarelle introduced her husband to Reverend Earl Foster and explained their Evangelistic Ministry to Rev.
Foster. Rev. Earl Foster became better acquainted with Pastor Montauban, and saw great potential in the Montauban’s ministry.
Then Rev. Foster formally introduced Pastor Montauban and his wife to the Church of the Brethren District President, Robert
Kateren. Soon there after, the Church of the Brethren Missions invited Pastor Montauban and his wife to a District Meeting
Interview. Then in June of 1991, Pastor Verel Montauban officially became affiliated with the Church of the Brethren Missions
(COBM). That same year they licensed him to Pastor a Church under the affiliation of COBM.
In July of 1991 Pastor Montauban and his wife, Clarelle planted “The First “Haitian Church of The Brethren” (FHCB) in Brooklyn
New York on Nostrand Avenue. At the inception of the First Haitian Church of the Brethren, they had 85 members and they
grew to 125 members by 2000. In July of 2000 they were able to acquire a larger facility to hold services and FHCB has been
growing steadily. The Ministry has grown from 125 people to 350 people over the years.
In 2001, the Lord moved Pastor Montauban to go to Haiti on a missions trip and it was then with another member from FHCB’s
home Church; Brother Sifois Chery, that they started a small Prayer Group in Haiti that has since grown form 7 members to a
250 member Church. Additionally, Pastor Montauban with Brother Sifois Chery opened a School and orphanage that teaches and
cares for more than 160 children in Haiti. They named the Church Eglise de Dieu de la Fraternité; which translated in English
means “Church of God of the Brethren”. The Church is located in Port-au- Prince Haiti in the town of Croix-des-Missions.
In October of 2006, Pastor Montauban also helped in the planting of another Church in Lawrenceville Georgia. The Ministry’s
goal is to reach more souls for Christ and to plant more Churches for the Glory of God.
History of the First Haitian Church of the Brethren
| Rev. Verel Montauban and his wife Clarelle |
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CHURCH STORY