Our Story

Mont Carmel Church started in an apartment on Christmas Day, 1993.

Brother Freddy Shembo had come to Charlotte to study international law at Duke University. As a French speaker, he couldn't find a French-speaking church in the city, so he began hosting Bible studies. What started as individual conversations eventually became a small prayer group gathering in his apartment that Christmas.

Nobody was thinking about starting a church. But as the group grew, something kept happening. Different people—prayer partners who didn't know each other—kept coming to Brother Freddy with the same message: God was calling him to pastor a church. He had no pastoral training. No theological degree. For weeks, he pushed back against the idea.

But the conviction wouldn't let go. In 1994, after much prayer, he said yes. The newly formed congregation joined the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) denomination, and Mont Carmel International Christian Center was born.

The early years tested their faith constantly. They had no building, bouncing between rented spaces for services. Finding a permanent home felt impossible. Then in 1996, with exactly $150 in the church bank account, they somehow purchased a property at 3901 The Plaza Road—an old house that needed serious work.

Everyone pitched in. Weekends became renovation days. Members who'd never held a hammer learned. Slowly, the old house transformed. By 1997, they moved in.

The congregation kept growing. In 2000, church leadership made another leap of faith: they'd build a new 400-seat sanctuary on the property. Construction finished in fall 2001.

Pastor Freddy built the church on three pillars: faith in God, prayer, and excellence in ministry. Prayer meetings weren't optional extras—they were the engine room. The church maintained its original mission: proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and extend God's love both locally and internationally. As a bridge between Charlotte's French-speaking community and the broader city, MCICC became truly international.

In 2017, the church launched an English-speaking ministry alongside its French services, now called MC Church. It wasn't easy running parallel language ministries, but it opened doors. First-generation kids who grew up speaking English could now worship in their own language. Americans and English speakers from across Africa and the Caribbean found a home.

Today, Mont Carmel draws people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds—all united by a passion for God. The blend of languages, worship styles, and traditions has become the church's signature.

What began as a handful of people praying in an apartment has become a multicultural community reaching people across Charlotte and beyond.