Noelson Chery already had a demanding job and a busy life. He wasn’t looking to add to it.

The Cherys live in Philadelphia. Noelson works remotely as an academic advisor. “It’s 40 long hours a week,” he says. “That’s why my wife, a respiratory therapist, and I resisted.”

Noelson and Edna are Haitian immigrants, and in 2019, when they discovered that most Haitian churches in their community worshipped only in Haitian Creole, they became church planters in the most unintentional of ways. “Everything in the churches was done for adults, whether the kids can speak Creole or not,” Noelson says. “So, we started Bible study in English with our kids at home.”

When other Haitian families learned what the Cherys were doing, they asked to join them. “It wasn’t our plan, but we couldn’t say no,” Edna says. “And soon, our street was filled with cars.”

Now, they’ve planted a Haitian church that’s making Jesus known and specifically reaching the younger generations. And the Chery’s have second jobs they didn’t even know they needed. “The Lord has blown my mind,” Noelson says. “Despite our busy lives and careers, nothing excites us more than this ministry.”

Prayer Requests

• Noelson to have time and energy to devote to First Haitian Metanoia Baptist Church.
• A dedicated space where their new church can meet and do ministry.
• Growth of mentoring relationships between young and older believers in the church.