Evangelical Garifuna Church (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
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, New York, and Chicago.
In 1984. the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions of the 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.
The Garifuna from Belize used English as their second language, while those from Honduras and Guatemala used Spanish.
In 1987, Celso Jaime began planting a church for Spanish-speaking Garifuna in the Bronx, New York City. The Evangelical Garifuna Church began using the former Glad Tidings Mennonite Church building after that congregation dissolved in 1988.
It planted another worship location in Brooklyn before 2006. This became the Evangelical Garifuna Church in Brooklyn, a Garifuna and Spanish-speaking congregation. It became part of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference in 2010.
Bibliography
MacMaster, Richard K. Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches of New York City. Kitchener, Ont.: Pandora Press, 2006: 351-352.
Additional Information
Address: 1820 East New York Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11207
Telephone: 929-461-7017
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/593983824785016/
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2017)
Pastoral Leaders at Evangelical Garifuna Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Celso Jaime? | 2000s-2010s? |
| ? | 2010s-2018 |
| Mario Martin Alvarez | 2018- |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Evangelical Garifuna Church (Brooklyn, New York, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2025. Web. 12 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Evangelical_Garifuna_Church_(Brooklyn,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=180242.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2025). Evangelical Garifuna Church (Brooklyn, New York, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Evangelical_Garifuna_Church_(Brooklyn,_New_York,_USA)&oldid=180242.
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