View source for Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries (Brooklyn, New York, USA)

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The Garifuna are descendants of African slaves who escaped from slavery, intermarried with Carib Indians, and developed a unique language and culture. They developed on the coasts of [[Honduras]], [[Belize]], and [[Guatemala]]. In the 1970s and 1980s, they began to migrate to the United States, to [[Los Angeles (California, USA)|Los Angeles]], New York City, and [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]].

In 1984. the [[Eastern Mennonite Missions (Lancaster Mennonite Conference)|Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions]] of the [[LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches|Lancaster Mennonite Conference]] asked Stephen and Evelyn Garcia to plant a church among the Garifuna in New York City. They moved to New York City in May 1985 and, later that month, established the Believers Mennonite Fellowship. They first met in their home and then in a rented dance hall. Several sister Garifuna fellowships developed in the early years. In 1988, the group began to rent space in Brooklyn and later purchased a building at 36 Malcolm X Blvd in Brooklyn.

The Garifuna from Belize used English as their second language, while those from Honduras and Guatemala used Spanish.

By 1989, the Believers Mennonite Fellowship held most of its services in English, and many participants were no longer of Garifuna background. Others came from [[Africa]] and the West Indies. After a division in the church, the focus returned to the Garifuna, taking the name Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries. In addition to the local ministry, Andrew Nunez began to help form Garifuna congregations in other American cities with significant Garifuna populations.

= Bibliography =
MacMaster, Richard K. ''Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches of New York City.'' Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2006: 350-352.

Nunez, Andrew. "Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries short belief history." Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries. 2013. Web. 26 September 2024. https://believersgarifunaministries.weebly.com/history.html.
= Additional Information =
'''Address''': 36 Malcolm X Blvd, Brooklyn, New York 11221-3008

'''Telephone''': 917-807-9011

'''Website''': https://believersgarifunaministries.weebly.com/

'''Denominational Affiliations''':

[https://lmcchurches.org/ LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches]

[https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA] (Until 2017)
== Pastoral Leaders at Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries ==
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Name !! Years<br/>of Service
|-
| Stephen G. Garcia || 1985-1991
|-
| Andrew Nunez || 1991-
|}
== Believers Mennonite Garifuna Ministries Membership ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! Year !! Members
|-
| 1988 || 20
|-
| 1990 || 35
|-
| 2000 || 35
|-
| 2009 || 15
|}

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