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OUR HISTORY
Gabaon Baptist Church started with a group of brothers and sisters who met in a small prayer meeting at Mr. Josue Jeanty’s house on April 10th, 1977. That meeting was led by Rev. Julien Dauphin, a Baptist minister who immigrated from Haiti with his family and lived in Evanston, Illinois. Pastor Dauphin had already started a storefront church in the North Side of Chicago when he, accompanied by Antoine Jeremie and Amplias Gabeau, gathered together with the brothers & sisters Josue Jeanty, Sylvanie Jeanty, Fernand Desir, Bien-aime Jeanty, and Francois Bazile on the South Side of Chicago. They decided to carry on the vision that God gave them to establish a storefront mission to reach out to the Haitian brothers living in the South of Chicago.
The brothers met in several subsequent meetings and made the decision to rent a place at 73rd Crandon, a storefront building, where worship services were held beginning on April 20, 1980. The church started with a handful of members. Two years later it saw an increasing numerical and spiritual growth. The church was named Francophone Missionary Baptist Church by Pastor Julien Dauphin. As the church continued to grow the pastor considered it to be an extension or outreach ministry from his main church on the North Side. The church leaders and members did not like that idea and decided that the church should become independent of the North Side Church. They had the vision to raise funds to one day build a new church building. Four years later, after many legal and constitutional maneuverings, the church became independent in March of 1983, and was renamed Gabaon Baptist Church. In the ensuing, years Pastor Dauphin resigned. The chronology of pastoral leadership from that point forward is as follows:
- Pastor Daniel Poinson (1987 – 1990)
- Pastor Judson Pierre (1990 – 1992)
- Pastor Josue Jeanty & Pastor Gesner Ulysse (1993 – 1996)
- Pastor Joseph E. Laine (1997 – 1999)
- Pastor Jean Rubin Louissaint (2006 – 2016)
- Pastor Jean Smarth Lacombe (2018 – Present )
In the year 1992, a division arose which led the church to be split into two main groups. In the face of many internal crises that undermined the vision of the founding members, it is by the grace of God that the main church has survived to this day. On December 29th, 1996, the Church was able to apply their special funds to the purchase of a building located at 2805 East 87th Street as a new place of worship. After purchasing this building, the church decided to pursue the vision of a brand new sanctuary. Then, on July 17th 2004, that vision was realized when the church dedicated a brand new church sanctuary which was added to the existing building. Through the years, God has and continues to bless Gabaon Baptist Church and we continue to look to His sovereign presence to keep us strong and vibrant as we reach out to all men and women, bringing them to Christ.
