REV. DR. DORIS JEAN LOUIS: FATHER OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN HAITI
By David L. Kutsch M.D.

According to Lutheran Church Missouri Synod officials other Lutherans had a presence in Haiti in the 1960s or early ‘70s, operating primarily a social ministry but ultimately that ministry bore little fruit in terms of winning souls for Christ or in planting churches.

The real history of Lutheranism in Haiti begins on Jan. 6, 1978 but the Lord’s human instrument was already strong in the faith by the late 1960s as the Holy Spirit entered the heart of a young Haitian radio technician, Doris Jean Louis. Born a pagan and raised a Baptist, he had not even heard of Martin Luther until he was nearly 30 years old. Such are the mysterious ways of the Lord.

Louis was born in 1944 in the Central Plateau region of Haiti, the third of four siblings having two older brothers and one younger sister. Although his birth certificate lists the regional capital of Haiti as his birthplace, he was actually born in the village of Thomassique located roughly 40 miles northeast of Port au Prince and very close to the border with the Dominican Republic. In 1951 at the age of seven, Doris Jean along with his whole family converted to Christianity, becoming Baptists. This was just three years after the establishment of the Baptist Mission in Haiti in 1948.
Following elementary and secondary schooling in Haiti, modeled after the French system, Louis received radio and electronics training, obtaining his diploma in these studies on Aug. 20, 1965. That same year, 1965, was even more significant in another respect. Doris met the love of his life Jeanne Elucie Isidor, young, beautiful, talented and with a true Christian heart. They would marry, however, not until 1972 when the future pastor’s career plans were more settled.

Prior to his marriage Louis had worked for four years in a Christian mission located out on the southern peninsula of Haiti under the direction of Dr. Carl O. Brown, President of the World Gospel Mission. Doris Jean was a teacher in one of the mission schools and increasingly he also served as a lay pastor. It was during this time that young Louis began to feel the call from the Holy Spirit to become a fully trained pastor. He at first hoped to attend Fort Worth Bible College in Indiana (not to be confused with Concordia Theological Seminary) however, because of lack of funds he settled for the closer Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) in Kingston Jamaica for which Dr Brown was happy to recommend him. In 1973 Louis left his young bride Elucie, carrying their first son Jean Wesley (born April 25, 1974 in Thomassique, Haiti), and traveled to Kingston for four years of theological studies.

It was while at JTS, a non-denominational seminary, that a pivotal moment arose which would define the rest of Louis’ life. Since his early years as a Christian he had wrestled with the doctrine of predestination and he was therefore prepared with his own theological position when asked to discuss predestination in a class on comparative religion. The future Dr. Louis, although he did not realize it until later answered in agreement with the Lutheran position on the subject. After class, a fellow student named Ramesh Persaud from a Lutheran church in Guyana told Louis he had answered as a Lutheran would have, planting a seed which would continue to grow. Ramesh, after his second year at JTS transferred to Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS) in Fort Wayne to complete his studies but continued while in the US to provide Louis with materials on Lutheranism.

Louis went on to graduate from JTS on June 10, 1977 with a Bachelor of Theology degree a Christian Education diploma and a diploma in Adult Education following which he returned to Haiti for a brief time. To further enhance his effectiveness, Louis found time to study dental mechanics, receiving his diploma from the Progress Institute in Santo Domingo, D.R. on June 26, 1978.

He had wanted to study in the US and in Aug. 1977 was invited to Wilmore, Kentucky to do library research. Once in the states, Louis contacted his friend Ramesh, still studying at CTS in Fort Wayne and shared his (Louis’) dream of planting a Lutheran church in Haiti. Ramesh in turn helped arrange a meeting for Louis with the late Dr Robert Preus, then president of CTS. Preus was favorably impressed and in Louis’ presence telephoned the LCMS Board of Missions. They responded by sending Louis a round trip plane ticket, so in December of 1977 Louis met in St. Louis with Drs. Buckman and Sohn along with two members of the board. These gentlemen were verbally supportive of Louis’ plan to start a Lutheran church in Haiti; however they offered no financial help. They simply said “Great! Keep us informed.” Pastor Louis, exhibiting the zeal of an Apostle Paul, returned to Haiti and with his wife Elucie began personal evangelism in Jan. 1978. Immediately with their first converts, they started a regular schedule of worship right in their own home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. This humble beginning became the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Petion-Ville (in French “Premiere Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne de Petion-Ville!). From the outset, the weekly pattern of worship was established with prayer service on Tuesday, Bible study on Thursday, formal service with Holy Communion on Sunday A.M. and Gospel service on Sunday evening. This schedule has continued to the present time.

In addition to the First Lutheran Church of Petion-Ville, now located at Delmas 89 #22, Pastor Louis has founded three other churches at Caradeux, Pelerin and Cite Soleil as well as three Christian day schools (including high school at Delmas 89), three literacy schools, one vocational school, the Evangelical Lutheran Foundation of Benevolence of Haiti and the Concordia Medical Center (including laboratory and pharmacy) at Delmas 89.

However, in 1978, these accomplishments were still largely in the future. That summer Pastor Louis, his family and the fledgling congregation were visited by Edwin (Ed) Minges a dedicated LCMS layman from a Lutheran church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Mr Minges took the time to discuss in some detail with Pastor Louis matters such as “Law and Gospel” and the Lutheran confessions. Minges discovered that Louis was deficient in Lutheran doctrinal knowledge (no surprise to Pastor Louis) but also that Louis was eager to learn more. Before leaving Haiti Ed Minges contacted him once more to say “Doris, for you to be a Lutheran pastor, you have to study in a Lutheran seminary. My wife, Pearl, and I are willing to pay all the expenses for you and your family to go to Fort Wayne so that you may attend Concordia Theological Seminary”. Upon returning to the US, Minges called Dr. Preus at CTS and made the necessary arrangements. Finally in Dec. 1979, Louis and Elucie with their five year old son Jean Wesley traveled to Fort Wayne where Pastor Louis was enrolled by Dr. Preus in the Colloquy Program for the Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.). If fulfillment of these requirements Louis wrote a thesis entitled “Voodoo and Christianity: HAITI A CASE STUDY”. During their time in Fort Wayne, Elucie put her talents as an expert seamstress to good use, bringing in much needed extra money for the family. This was especially important since their second son, Muhlenberg (Lennie) was born in Fort Wayne July 1, 1980 making him a US citizen. On November 26, 1980 Pastor Louis officially graduated from CTS receiving his M.Div. and qualifying him as a Lutheran pastor. Louis would not be officially ordained until 1986 or 87 but when it finally and belatedly occurred it was a grand occasion. Among the dignitaries present were Drs. Robert Preus and Waldo Werning with Dr Wilbert Kreiss from France, president of the France-Belgium Synod, officiating and of course, conducting the service in French.

At about the time when Pastor Louis was studying at CTS, Dr Preus located a benefactor in the person of Mr. John Wiebe, a Lutheran layman in Omaha Nebraska who was willing to donate $50,000 to Christ Lutheran Church in Lincoln and loan another $50,000, this done out of gratitude for personal services rendered by Pastor Charles Reimnitz. Both gifts were for the purpose of building a church facility to house the First Lutheran congregation of Petion-Ville. Ed Minges on hearing of John Wiebe’s donation donated $50,000 to repay the loan to Christ Lutheran Church from Mr Wiebe. Thus was born the Haiti Lutheran Mission Society (HLMS, later changed to HLMS, USA) originally a project of Christ Lutheran alone but now a separate Lutheran entity funded by numerous individuals and churches.

Throughout the 1980s God continued to look with favor upon Pastor Louis’ ministry as churches and memberships increased. His own family enlarged as well with the birth of son number three, Lutherson, on Jan 11, 1984 while Elucie was visiting in Florida, making him a US citizen like Lennie. Pastor Louis’ professional responsibilities also grew and he felt the need for even more training and expertise. Enrolling in night school in 1984 at the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences, State University, Port-au-Prince, he obtained his License in Law in 1989 and in 1989 he received his diploma in School Administration from the University Quisqueya-Amerique, Port-au-Prince.

On May 21, 1993 Pastor Louis received a well-deserved Doctor of Divinity degree (D.Div.) Honoris Causa from his alma mater, Concordia Theological Seminary so that from this time forward Pastor Louis can be properly called Dr. Louis. It would be nice to end the story on that happy note but very soon the Louis family would be called upon to suffer for the faith, although as it turned out always under God’s protective care.
It was about 10:00 P.M. on the night of Sept 23, 1994 that the Louis family of four (Wesley was in college at the U of Nebr. In Lincoln NE) were attacked in their own home in Petion-Ville. Lennie then 14 and Lutherson age 10 were already in bed while Pastor and Elucie, with the front door locked were about to retire for the night as well. Suddenly a gang of eight intruders armed with guns and knives appeared at the bedroom door. They had been hiding for some time in the darkened house waiting for the best opportunity to act. The intruders, convinced that Pastor Louis had $40,000.00 in church funds on the premises, demanded the cash immediately under threat of violence or death. The Louis family was unable to bargain effectively since they had nothing close to that amount of money on hand. Lennie was awake by this time and told the outlaws that he had the money downstairs (much to the surprise of his parents). This turned out to be a clever ruse on Lennie’s part and as soon as he reached the door to the garage, he bolted for the outside followed by a blaze of gun fire from the attacker who had followed him. Upstairs Pastor and Elucie feared Lennie had been killed and the returning gunman seemed to confirm this when he came back saying “I have just killed your son and now you are going to give me the money!” The senior Louises after again denying they had any money were forced to lie on the floor with their heads together expecting to be shot. It was at this point that Pastor Louis reports the hand of God took over completely. Somehow Louis regained his feet and the 50 year old non-violent man and his middle aged wife began to struggle with the eight young armed assailants. Miraculously the attackers were driven off. Although Pastor Louis was shot in the head (the bullet entered his scalp on the left side but did not penetrate his skull) and was grievously cut on the hand and leg while Elucie was shot in the left breast and arm. It is likely the attackers thought one or both of the senior Louises were dead or mortally wounded. Finally the police came and both victims were taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. Amazingly Lutherson slept through the worst of the incident but awakened when his mother revived enough to crawl back up to his room to check on him. Lutherson for his part comforted her and prayed for her. It was only after reaching the hospital and receiving needed surgical treatment that Pastor and Elucie learned that Lennie had not only survived but was unhurt. The closest bullet missed Lennie by no more than about 2 inches. What started as a nightmare turned into a wonderful example of God’s divine protection and mercy. This story is found in greater detail in a 1995 edition of the “HLMS Call” authored by Jill Jank.

Since the early beginnings in Pastor Louis’ home the Lutheran Church in Haiti has grown well beyond even what Louis himself has established. There are, in fact six other Lutheran pastors working in Haiti most of which started with Dr Louis as lay preachers including his own brother-in-law Pastor Israel Isidor. Later one by one these young men attended seminary in the U.S. and returned to Start churches of their own in Haiti. With more that 14,000 members the Lutheran church is one of the fastest growing churches in all Haiti.

One project of Dr Louis has been the translation of Dr Martin Luther’s Small Catechism into Creole, the language of the Haitian people. Dr Louis took pains to include the Lutheran symbols throughout the text making this translation, in that sense more complete than the formerly used French edition. Dr Louis says that he also hopes to see the establishment of a fully qualified and staffed Lutheran seminary in Haiti so that there will be an ongoing supply of needed pastors and teachers for the rapidly growing church. As Dr Louis says “Salvation through Christ for all.”