Another week has come and gone and with the weekend comes a chance for me to sit down and tell you about what God has been doing this week in our little part of western France. Are you ready? Pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s sit for a few minutes. Continue reading
First year Bible School Maëva Morvan is a dedicated Bible School student and member of the national headquarters church in Melun. Here you see her giving a devotional message during the daily chapel service. She is just one of the reasons that we are in France and glad to be part of growing the church here. Continue reading
“The sun had set, the last few sips of coffee had long since grown cold and there was nothing left to do but stroll… almost, but not quite …aimlessly. For that is what one must do in Paris if one is to truly appreciate this intoxicating place. Continue reading
For the first time in over a year our family of 5 is split between two sides of the ocean and it feels weird… Continue reading
General Charles deGaulle had a real dilemma about leading France in the 1950’s. He mused about how it be possible to govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese. If that’s the extent of his challenges… his was a good time in which to lead! Challenges are to be expected in the pursuit of any great and worthy goal… and what a goal is ours!
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Sometimes ministry happens in national meetings, other times it happens with 24 young people in a converted car dealership and other times still, it happens with a single elderly saint in her apartment. Today I’ll tell you about all three.
Downtown Paris was eerily quiet…
Although I shared some photos with you, earlier in the week, I didn’t talk too much about the day.
I caught a 6:41am train in order to be in Paris for morning service. Arriving around 8:30, I took advantage of the beautiful sunny morning to walk to church. As I walked, I prayed: Prayed for the service that would soon begin and prayed for this city… recently brought to its knees and still recovering.
Service went well. There were probably about 60 people and though they said that there were a lot missing, when you’re used to a “home-missions-sized” crowd… 60 is a full house!
I spoke on the apostle Paul as an ambassador. God said of Paul that he was a “chosen vessel”, chosen to bear the name of Jesus (Ac.9). Just like Paul, each born again Christian, is a chosen vessel… chosen to bear the name of Jesus to the world around us. If ever a city was in need of such ambassadors… Paris, in November 2015, is such a place. Lord help us to appropriately bear your name… bringing hope.
Following service I had lunch onsite, had coffee & dessert downtown with one of the church families then spent 4-5 hours walking. I wanted to pick up a few things for Christmas and I wanted to continue to spend time praying in the city… connecting, feeling…
Five things I learned or noted:
1. Downtown hotels are eerily empty (with some at 35-40% capacity).
2. Streets are pretty empty
3. Security personnel are EVERYWHERE… and heavily armed.
4. There were crowds at Paris’ Christmas Market, otherwise…
5. Pre-Christmas retail sales were down 30% last week & 17% this week
People have been affected by the attacks! I’m glad we know the peace-giver.
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While many of you celebrated US Thanksgiving this week, here it’s beginning to look like Christmas (The Thanksgiving holiday isn’t celebrated here).
City crews in Châtellerault have been putting up lights for weeks already, but this was the first week that we saw them lit up. Here you can see some located just on the far end of the Henry IVth bridge.
We picked up our Christmas Tree this week.
It’s the first time in a long while that we’ve gone out and bought one, having caved in a few years ago and gotten a fake one back home. We’d actually gone out to pick up a few trays of pansies (a common source of colour in winter gardens here) when I saw that trees had arrived at the local Jardiland.
Timo & decided compromised between cost and eco-friendliness: for the first time ever, we have a living Christmas tree (it’s in a pot and can be planted outside after Christmas… how cool is that!?).
Reality Check: I think a good church fundraiser might be to plant Christmas trees on our huge property, then in 10 years or so, we can sell ’em! A 6-foot tree like we’d typically get back home runs for 75 euros ($105 CAD or $79USD)… this little guy was no where near that amount. Good heavens!
Our printed cards arrived this week which means that we’ll be able to begin handing them out in the next couple of days. The idea is to “strike while the iron is hot” so to speak… to get these into people’s hands while everything is still fresh.
The cards simply give people 3 verses to contemplate as they mourn the attacks and question the uncertainty of the days in which we live. It also gives them the church’s Facebook and web pages should any want to connect with us afterwards: This is the goal. Pray with us that these make their way to people who need a touch from God and are hungry for Him.
If you missed the gallery of pictures that I posted earlier this week, you can see it here.
Thank you for praying and giving financially… your support is causing growth in France.
If you’re in the Atlantic District… look for an article written by Sophie, Dominic & Timo for the November issue of the Pentecostal Messenger (for those not in the Atlantic District, I’ll be posting it here in the next few weeks).
If you’re in need of Christmas gift ideas and are reading from Saint John… our home church, Mission Point (130 Mark Drive), is having their annual Christmas Craft Fair: 28 tables of crafts, home baking, preserves, etc….
God bless you today, now go be an Ambassador!
Thank you for all of you who were praying about my day in Paris yesterday, it went well. I’ll relay more details in Saturday’s post but I wanted to share more photos than I typically do.
If you know someone who loves Paris, longs to go or longs to go BACK…
share this gallery with them.
(NOTE: click on any photo to enlarge)
Many of you have already seen the kids’ evangelism ressource below,
but just in case some haven’t…
5 ways that we can all be like the Eiffel Tower and be a witness for God
Also… want to know more about what the Lord is doing in France on a regular basis?
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Oh the difference a week can make!
France has been the highlight of so much attention over the past week and many, many, many of you have contacted us to say that you are praying: for us, for our church and for this country…
Thank you!
Although I was in Melun last weekend (50km from Paris), we live 350km away. Nonetheless, the entire nation has been affected and it’s been a little surreal to live here at this time.
Even in our quiet provincial town of 35,ooo, within hours of the attacks, people began bringing flowers, notes of tribute and lighting candles on the steps of La Mairie (City Hall) in memory of the victims.
It was moving to walk by there on Sunday afternoon and see a steady flow of people, of all ages, making their contribution to the makeshift memorial… pausing to read and contemplate others’ contributions. This was part of mourning… part of grieving.
One thing that struck me was that, far removed from English-dominated world of social media or internet news, the English hashtag #PrayforParis would find its way onto handwritten notes on the steps of our city hall (English is not as common here as in larger centers). For the French to so openly evoke prayer is no small thing.
Given the use of #PrayforParis… throughout the country, we’ve developed an outreach tool that we plan to use within the next two weeks.
It’s simply an oversized business card showing the Eiffel Tower and Châtellerault’s Henry IVth bridge. On the back it has 3 verses to communicate Christ’s care and purpose for us… even in the midst of troublesome times.
This will be a bold undertaking for our little church. Please join us in prayer.
Kids everywhere are aware of events in Paris this week. Would you like a ready-made, 5-min object lesson to connect kids & youth to their own missions potential?
Discover
5 ways that each of us can be like the Eiffel Tower
by clicking here!
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Last night our home church in Saint John kicked off their annual World Missions Conference with guest speakers Raymond Woodward, Jack Leaman and Allan Calhoun.
This is the first time in 18 years that we won’t be at Missions Conference. Given our love for missions, this was always a highlight. What’s more… Bros. Woodward and Leaman were on staff in the Saint John church when Liz & I began attending back in the late 1990’s. I take comfort in the fact that, in one way, we’re closer to missions now than we ever were!
Tomorrow I will be rising early and boarding a train for Paris where I will be speaking at the church in Paris-Centre (the other church over which Bro. Brochu has responsibility), I’ve been there before. In Bro. Brochu’s absence it has been pastored by fellow AIMers Dean & Loreen Byfield, who’ve been doing an excellent job! Glad to go back there tomorrow.
Pray for traveling safety and for a powerful move of God in service there as well as in Châtellerault.
It will be unique to be back in the capital one week after the attacks, but I look forward to it. As the song says… “You’re the God of this city”
Thank you for visiting today… let what you read inform your prayers for us and for France.
God bless you today!
God is good… All the time;
and All the time… God is good!
This week we published our bi-monthly newsletter for August and September. It can be downloaded in .pdf format by clicking the link on this page.
Wondering how to use a newsletter beyond simply reading it?
In fact… let me make #5 easy for you…
Click the bird to tweet a direct link
to the newsletter page.
This is an IBF weekend… so as many of you are reading this, I’ll be teaching 2 Timothy to the Bible School students.
My involvement in IBF, gives me a chance to get out of Châtellerault each month; to see other places and spend time with different people. Pastors can relate to this and particularly home-missions pastors… sometimes you need to connect with people outside of your local congregation.
IBF gives me that opportunity regularly, but not so for Liz and the kids. Since Bible school students usually travel with me, there is not enough space in the car for the family… but this weekend is a break from that.
Yesterday was “field trip day” as far as school was concerned and we left in the morning, arriving early afternoon in Paris. We roamed, lauged, “selfie-sticked” and lounged at Starbucks (a real treat as there are none in western France) and then met up with friends from the Melun church for supper and a stroll.
Liz’s time is spent between overseeing 3 grade-levels of homeschool, maintaining the house, preparing a songlist for services, leading worship and getting to church an hour early each time, for music practice with the kids. Once they have gone to bed for the night… she sets about marking any assignments and preparing the next day’s overview. She NEVER stops!
The kids start each day at 7:00am, start school at 8:00am and go full out all week so as to be able to go into the weekend with little to no homework. Soph is in grade 10 and Dominic in grade 8… so the workload is definitely increasing!
They needed a break from the regular routine.
We would’ve liked to have been able to stay overnight tonight as well and attend the service in Melun tomorrow, making it a full weekend away… and a good, full, break. But alas, it wasn’t possible this time. We’ll aim for another time. …On the upside though, we’ll be back in time for the…
Thank you!Thank you for your support. It means a lot.
I pray that God blesses you richly today!
AIM Long 