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We are glad to be in touch with you again, to give you some news of what has been happening here in France during these past couple of months.
French Baptist Church-planters
It was good to bring together the Baptist church-planters from across France (40+ of us) for our annual two-day gathering at the end of January. As you can see from the photo, we are quite a varied bunch. 😉
This year, there were more new faces than we've seen in a while, which is indicative of some new partnerships and of the continued priority of church-planting in a context as secular as ours.
We spent the time sharing news from each location, reflecting on our work and learning from one another's experiences, worshipping together, planning ahead, and praying for one another. The theme was “The value of our failures” and, perhaps surprisingly, it provided for a very encouraging time of reflection and learning.
There was also space to have some fun. In the evening, for example, there was plenty of laughter as we shared culinary specialities that we had brought from our various corners of France.
Help for the Journey
You may remember, from our November letter, that BMS's current work in France is part of the 'Help for the Journey' programme, with a particular focus on France as a destination country for forcibly displaced people.
An audit in 2021 revealed that half of the Baptist churches in France had activities specifically aimed at ministering to refugees and asylum-seekers. Even within our smaller congregation at the church-plant in Gif-sur-Yvette, one of our (retired) members, Laurent, teaches French every morning to forcibly displaced people who are aiming to resettle in France.
Laurent regularly brings his students to our outreach activities, and a young South-Sudanese who came to our Christmas event subsequently asked for (and was given, of course) an Arabic Bible. Do pray for him and for Laurent.
Prayer among local church-planters
Those with even keener memories might remember us explaining how the population of Gif-sur-Yvette had doubled twice over, with the creation of two 'new towns', the second expansion beginning in 2015.
We also shared about the two other church-plants on the opposite side of the valley and about how we were aiming to coordinate our activities. This has led to a monthly prayer-time together and to the inclusion of the other two church-planters in the wider ecumenical circles. We are encouraged by these developments.
Family News
We took some annual leave in the UK last month to support our youngest with the grandchildren while her husband was abroad for work. This led to the five of us doing a 'road trip' to Scotland, where – among other things – we were able to introduce the younger grandchild to his great-grandparents!
We had a lot of fun, as you might imagine, with the five of us and an improbable amount of children's equipment squeezed into the Dacia. Don't tell, but Philip had to watch a YouTube video in order to figure out how to operate the travel cot! 😉
Prayer Points
- Ask for God's blessing on the 40+ Baptist church-planters across France.
- Pray for Laurent, spending his mornings teaching French to refugees and asylum-seekers, and sharing his faith when appropriate.
- Give thanks for the encouraging development of relations and coordination between the three church-plants around Gif-sur-Yvette.
- Given thanks too for safe travels and family time last month.
With our warm good wishes and our thanks for your ongoing support,
Philip & Rosemary.
