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May we take this opportunity of wishing you a Happy New Year. We trust that you will know God's hope, peace, joy, and love in your life (the four big Advent themes) throughout the whole of 2025 - whatever the year may bring - and that you will be used by God in His service.
Flooding in France
On both sides of the Channel (and further afield, of course), flooding was a serious problem for many during the Autumn. Within the membership of our church-plant at Gif-sur-Yvette, two households were affected towards the end of October.
Our treasurer and her husband lost everything, with two successive floods tearing through their home, to a height of 1m50. Even the internal stud walls all had to come down, as their home was pared back to its bare frame. It will take at least a year before this couple can hope to move back in.
It was heartening to see our church-members rallying to help, however, as they provided their labour, a series of meals, and various other expressions of hospitality and support. The wife of this couple was alone when the first flood came, at 2am, and she subsequently testified to the way in which she believes that God guided her and kept her safe, as she scrambled to save a few critical items before having to abandon their home.
Christmas Outreach at Gif-sur-Yvette
The programme for this year's Christmas outreach event, at the church-plant in Gif-sur-Yvette, included a gospel choir, interactive games and quizzes, a Christmas tale, and group singing. Afterwards, our guests were glad to stay on and chat over mulled wine, hot spicy apple juice, and a terrific spread of Christmas fare.
As well as having a good crowd, we were particularly encouraged by the fact that all the members of our church-plant worked so hard on the day to welcome our guests: friends, neighbours, and family members.
Do pray for those guests, that they will continue to reflect on the clear message of hope that they heard. And pray too for the members of our church-plant, as they share their faith in the community.
Annual Gathering of French Baptist Pastors
In November, all the Baptist pastors from across France gathered for three days, as they do each year. In addition to enjoying good times of fellowship, teaching, worship, and sharing, some further work was done in the ongoing process of re-expressing our identity and vision (as a national union of churches).
We began this task at our 100th anniversary in 2022 and will complete it at our annual congress in May 2025. It has been very encouraging, both the process and the outcomes.
Family News
Since our flat is fairly small, it comes with a cellar in the basement, for additional storage. Sadly, our cellar was burgled in the run-up to Christmas. There was nothing of great value there, but we lost every last item of food and drink: gifts (for neighbours, the janitor, the cleaner, etc.) and items for our own Christmas celebrations. C'est la vie.
There was just one article of food left behind, in fact, clearly too horrible to be of interest: some individual Christmas puddings from the UK (prizes for our Christmas outreach event at church)! 😊
Prayer Points
- Ask for God's grace on those still affected by the Autumn flooding, including the treasurer and her husband at Gif-sur-Yvette.
- Pray for the guests who attended the Christmas outreach event at Gif-sur-Yvette and pray too for the members of the church-plant, as they share their faith in the community.
- Give thanks for the encouragement that the French Baptists are experiencing, as they work on re-expressing their identity and vision.
With our warm good wishes and our thanks for your ongoing support,
Philip & Rosemary.