Mercy Over Ambition
Why we must protect Feed My Sheep.
To the people of Dominica, my brothers and sisters at home and across the diaspora: I speak to you today not just as a fellow citizen, but as a son carrying a heavy mantle of responsibility.
Many of you knew my parents, the late Pastor Samuel "Preacher" Augustine and Sister Lena Augustine. They were the heartbeat of a mission that began in Delices and eventually took root at the foot of the hill at Campbell Road in Mahaut. They didn't just build a church; they built a refuge. For over decades, the building that stands just before the turn to Tiza and Belfast has been under Sister Lena's dominion and control and is home to two distinct but inseparable missions: the Mahaut Gospel Tabernacle (MGT) and Feed My Sheep (FMS) Dominica.
Since my mother's passing this past June, I have been deeply moved by the stories shared with me. To so many in Mahaut, Lena Augustine was not just a pastor's wife; she was "Mother." She was a mother to the homeless, the elderly, and the youth. She treated everyone — from the hungry wanderer to the Prime Minister who visited her — as her own flesh and blood.
For four decades, the charity and the church lived in harmony under her direction. One provided for the soul; the other, through Feed My Sheep, provided for the body. This was the "pure religion" defined in Scripture:
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress."
— James 1:27
The Legacy Under Threat
Today, that harmony has been shattered, and the legacy of my parents is under direct threat.
I must clarify a painful reality: while FMS and MGT have shared a home for forty years, they are separate organizations. Since my mother's passing, the leadership of the Mahaut Gospel Tabernacle has moved in a direction that is in direct opposition to the charity my parents founded with their life savings.
Knowing the heart of leaders like my parents, and as a former minister myself, it is heartbreaking to witness religious leaders who seem more interested in "lording over" property than in "feeding the sheep." The current leadership of MGT is seeking to end the 40-year presence of Feed My Sheep in the very building my parents built for this purpose. They are attempting to displace a ministry that serves as a lifeline for children, the elderly, and the homeless.
My sister Deborah and I have been keeping FMS afloat from our own pockets since July of 2025. We are entrepreneurs, not professional fundraisers, but we have reached our limit.
"If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
— Matthew 5:23–24
We have called for a "Call to Conversation," yet our pleas for dialogue have been met with silence or hostility.
A Plea to You
I am turning to you, the people of Dominica, for help in two urgent ways:
🤝 A Plea for Mediation
If you know Brother Bertrand or Brother Estrada, I implore you to speak to them. Ask them to remember the heart of "Preacher" Sam. Ask them why they would seek to dismantle a charity that serves the poorest among us. Tell them that reconciliation is the only path that honours God.
💜 A Plea for Support
Because they have refused to sit at the table we have set for peace, we are forced to prepare for a legal battle to secure the future of Feed My Sheep. We need funds to keep our food bank stocked, to secure our facilities for the residents who call FMS home, and to provide the legal defense necessary to solve this matter once and for all.
I am the eldest son of Lena and Sam Augustine. I cannot stand by and watch the work my parents sacrificed everything for be erased by organizational ambition of others not in tune to continue the work and mission of Feed My Sheep and that of my parents.
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice… Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter?"
— Isaiah 58:6-7
If you can stand with us, please visit FMSdominica.org to contribute to our mission and our legal fund, or contact me at dennis@fmsdominica.org.
Thank you for remembering my parents, and for helping us ensure that in Mahaut, the sheep will always be fed.
In faith and service,
Dennis Augustine
Eldest Son of Sam and Lena Augustine
Board Member, Feed My Sheep (FMS) Dominica