Salut!

I’ve asked to put out a prayer request for the little girl who was abducted in Portugal. 

For her protection and safe return and strength and encouragement for her parents and family.

Out of all the Evangelical churches in Paris, only 15% of the pastors are French nationals.  A startling statistic which really demonstrates the cronic lack of FRENCH church leaders.  Please pray.

My grandad passed away early this morning.  He had been suffering from cancer.  He came to know Jesus about 2 years ago so at least we can take comfort in the fact that he’s going to be happy for the rest of eternity!  That is some promise Jesus holds out to us.  However, that doesn’t stop the rest of us mourning his passing.  Please keep us in your prayers.  I will be travelling back to the UK on Thursday and staying for the funeral early the next week.

I just read this today and I thought I would share it with you as a cause for urgent prayer and action:

In the past centuary, 2000 new Cahtolic churches have been created in France.

In the past 30 years, 2000 new Muslim prayer rooms have been opened in France.

In the past 30 years, 1000 new Evangelical churches have opened in France.

 

We can give thanks for the 1000!  But who is putting in more time, more effort, more money into creating new communities…and having more success?  A thought to consider and to pray through fervantly.

I’m EXHAUSTED!

Friday I set off on the train to Nantes.  I attended the Alpha training weekend there.  Here’s proof…  Yes, man back to front!

The weekend was really useful and very encouraging but totally exhausting.  There were 200 Catholics and 50 Protestants.  The Alpha course is really a ‘Catholic tool’ here in France which is quite surprizing considering its protestant roots.  This is the French Nick Gumble:  After a long weekend I travelled with Jan, another ECM missionary to her flat in Le Mans and spent the night there.  The next day, Monday, we travelled over to Tours for the ECM team day which turned out to be not very relaxing.

Off on my travels again, by car this time, with Susanne and Fritz and their baby Kevin.  We arrived back late in Orleans in time for a good meal and off to sleep at 10pm.

 

Tuesday was spent in a LONG meeting all day with the baptist pastors of the central region of France discussing our next move in terms of church planting. 

Phew! 

Tomorrow morning me and Jean Marc have been invited to lead a 2 hour discussion / class at the local Catholic high school.  Our theme is eccumenicalism…I can’t spell it or pronouce it, so I’m sure everything will go great!  Please pray for this and the seeds of the gospel we will sow in the students minds.  Also please pray for energy for me to keep up the pace, we seem to be speeding downhill towards Christmas now!

Here are the Pastors of the 4 main churches in Orleans.  (One is missing - so there are in fact 5!)  In a vast city like this it is amazing that there are only 5 main-stream churches.  The largest is the Pentecostal church which has an attendance of about 300.  They have 3 pastors on the photo.  Next is our Baptist church, with an attendance of about 100.  There are also 3 evangelical free churches, but they are quite small. (20 - 50) That means there are about 600 main-stream church attenders in a city of 250 000 inhabitants.  To give you an idea of scale, Aberystwyth, where I went to university, is a town of 11 000 - yet the Anglican church I went to there has an attandance of about 400, and that’s only 1 church in the town! 

 

Please pray for Orleans and France in general.  It is hard for UK believers to grasp how small the church in France is and how much it needs our support and our prayers.  But praise God for the unity there is amongst the different pastors and their churches in Orleans.  (We meet together every month for a LONG meeting!)  Do pray that this continues.

 

A few subjects here for you…

Bayo, a refugee who lives here in the church has a wife and 4yr old daughter, whom he has never seen, in London.  Today he was granted a visa to visit the UK and see his family.  Hurahh!!

 

On the other hand, a Nigerian couple and their baby son, (OK, Ester and Samuel) have tried to claim refugee status here in France and have been refused.  They now have one month before they will be explulsed from the country.  Please pray for a miracle.  They are a wonderful Christian couple who fled their county after brutal persecution - of which OK bears MANY scars - they were not able, however, to provide enough paperwork to proove this persecution.  Please pray with me becuase they are so desperate and have nowhere to turn except to God and their family in Christ. 

Little Samuel.

ALPHA STARTS TONIGHT AT 7.30PM.  PLEASE PRAY.

I was walking back from Bible study just now and a flasher did what they do out side my building door.  Luckily I was inside but it is a glass front…  Quite shaken as you can imagine I rang the police.  They were very well organised and were round in 5 minutes and took me in the car around the neighbourhood to see if we could spot him.  Which we didn’t. 

Anyway, I’m feeling pretty shakey still and quite insecure.  I know these people are not usually dangerous, just idiots.  But please keep my security in your prayers. 

I’ve been given the green light for Alpha and it’s full steam ahead!  However, can you pray for me please!  The past 2 days the realisation has hit me about how much work this is going to be and I’m getting quite scared.  The biggest part is the practical side - Like how am I going to cook a meal for at least 15 which reaches acceptable French standards?!  Arghh!!  We have yet to find a TV and DVD player.  There are lots of possible problems.  But I know God is greater and that he has it all in control…I just don’t see that right now!     Please pray for peace and trust.  Thanks!