House of Bread Christian Mission, Inc.

Jim and Gayle Durham are from Ft. Smith, Arkansas. They both graduated from the public schools in that city. Jim later attended Westark College and Gayle attended the Sparks Hospital School of Nursing. Later, they moved to Paris, Texas, Salina, Kansas, Shawnee/Mission, Kansas, and Chillicothe, Missouri. Jim worked for the airlines several years, then worked 15 years in the trucking industry. Gayle worked as a homemaker and from time to time, worked in hospitals near their home. Jim and Gayle have 3 children and 8 grandchildren.

In 1975 Gayle felt called into the Ministry. Jim felt his call to the Ministry in 1977. Jim was ordained as a Southern Baptist Evangelist/Preacher by the First Baptist Church in Chillicothe, Missouri. Gayle was licensed by the Community Baptist Church in Utica, Missouri and later ordained by the Cornerstone Church in Chillicothe, Missouri. Gayle served as the Chaplain of the women’s prison in Chillicothe for 5 years. Jim and Gayle served as pastors in 4 different Baptist churches in North Missouri over a 6 year period.

In the mid l980s, God began to call Jim and Gayle to the foreign mission field. It took several years of prayer and waiting for God to reveal the time to go and to what country. In the meantime, Gayle was active in Women’s Aglow and both continued active in their church. In 1985, the Lord confirmed their call and told them by His Spirit and His Word to go to Haiti, W.I.

They arranged for their support, sold their house and possessions, keeping only their car, and started a walk of faith, depending solely upon the Lord to meet their needs and expenses. Jim and Gayle are supported by private individuals of different faiths and 7 churches of different faiths. When they entered the mission field, Jim was 50 years old and Gayle 48.

House of Bread (Jim and Gayle) have been working in Haiti since 1987, preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, building churches, primary schools, establishing a sewing/cooking school for young women, providing medical care, and feeding children. They also work with the poor, teaching them to help themselves through cottage industry & micro enterprise projects.

Jesus gave all people an opportunity for eternal life. Now we and the Haitian people must work together to take advantage of what God has done for us. The Bible says “All things are possible with God”. God became man in Jesus Christ, reached out to us to save us and give us eternal life. In that same spirit, let us reach out to the Haitian people and emulate Christ.

In 1992, House of Bread was incorporated as a non profit mission agency, duly recognized by the State of Missouri and the United States government. House of Bread is governed by a board of advisors, which meet semi annually and annually.

The office in the United States is located in Chillicothe, Missouri. The mission compound is located in Montrouis, Haiti, about 60 miles North of Port Au Prince, Haiti. The mission work is located in Montrouis and St. Marc, Haiti.