Edmee Chavannes

Edmee Chavannes was born in Paris to parents who had previously immigrated to France from Haiti. In her early years, her family attended church, but after her parents divorced when she was a child, her mother left the church and gave up on God. Influenced by her own negative life experiences and the speeches of Malcolm X, she developed a hatred of white people and for her father from which she had become estranged. Having visited the United States several times throughout the 1990s, she fell in love with the sense of freedom in America and was impressed by the size and scale of every aspect of life in contrast to what was familiar in Europe. As an adult, after experiencing the loss of a dear friend, in 2002 she decided to immigrate to the US for a new start.

Despite this new beginning in America, she continued to struggle with depression, rejection, and pessimism – but that would soon change. Encountering Christians who were truly relying on God in their daily lives, something she had not observed with Christians she had known back home, she saw a peace in them that she wanted for herself. In 2003 she received Christ and was born again, experiencing a radical shift that lifted her out of depression, removed the lens of racism she had seen the world through for so long, and empowered her to forgive her father. One evening, while attending a Broadway show with friends, a particular scene stirred up an overwhelming sense of awareness of the struggle between the prevailing culture and the Kingdom of God. She heard from the Lord that he had called her to engage in the battle to regain this territory, and she began to pursue it, leaving her secular career for full-time ministry.

A few years later, on her way to the grocery store, she encountered a woman canvassing for a non-profit organization in front of Trump Towers. She listened to her explain all the things they were doing to help young women. When the woman finished her pitch, Edmee acknowledged that her effort was well-intentioned, but responded that if people did not give their hearts to the Lord, nothing would change. Much to her surprise, the woman did not attempt to debate her but readily agreed. This woman’s name was Bevelyn Beatty, and she and Edmee would go on to become great friends and pursue ministry together which continues to this day.