Hello All !!
This update is a little bit longer than normal because we really need prayer. Thank you in advance for investing your time to read about what the Lord is doing in France, and how you can support the work through prayer!
HIGHLIGHTS :
We are able to stay in our church building until the end of September 2025
God has provided us with an open door in a town 10 minutes from Vernon for “La Grande Célébration”, our once-a-month Big Celebration service.
Small “micro churches” are going to start in September, meeting in several homes.
The transition is more than changing buildings; it’s a season of walking by faith, not by sight; a season of spiritual growth, marked by loving obedience to Christ, as we abide in Him.
“Youth Church” will be starting on Sunday afternoons this September.
Our Pentecost service had about 150 people, who came to support family and friends getting baptized. We had six baptisms and an incredible time of fellowship as a church!
Church Building
When we got the news last May that we had a short window of about 6 weeks to leave our church building, it was quite a shock, to say the least. At the same time, there was an immense sense of peace that came with the news. The evening that we received the news, Sonia and I had attended a small gathering of students at the home of my missions professor, for a discussion with an innovative church planter from Lyon. We discussed church planting, church multiplication movements, and some adaptable methods to win the lost to Christ in the spiritually cold and hard French environment. As we got in the car after the meeting, I saw the email informing us about the decision of the catholic diocese to sell the building that our church had been meeting in for the last year and a half. The timing of the message, following the context of the meeting we had just left, made us pay attention. God is obviously moving. The following week, I sent an email to the diocese asking for more time in the building, which would allow our budding church community to have enough time to find another place for our church to meet. We were graciously given until the end of September, for which we were, and are, very thankful.
To be honest, this huge change has been a real challenge for our church body. God started a new work in our church a couple of weeks before Easter, and what He’s been doing is kind of hard for me to describe. This season of “transition” has also been a season of salvation, sanctification, sacrifice, and learning to deeply trust our Heavenly Father as a church. We have seen the Spirit move and witnessed the spiritual walls of resistance crumble in the hearts of people coming to faith or returning to the Lord. But, it’s also WAR. I often remind our church that satan attacks us in “3D”, and we are actively in a battle against the “3Ds” of distraction, discouragement, and division. Some struggle with doubt about God’s provision for a building, others question if we have failed in our mission and if we’re returning to the states ( which we are not ), and still others are overwhelmed by the stress of the transition, or struggling with an immense feeling of being out of control. It’s a whirlwind of emotion. It feels in a way that we’re in the midst of the storm, and Jesus, our master, sleeps peacefully at the rear of the boat.
La Vigne
For those of you who know us personally, you know that for the last 10 years, Sonia and I have been aiming at something different than a traditional church. When we lived in Astoria, we witnessed the pervasive nature of the blackberry bushes in our backyard. They are clever buggers. Any branch that touches the ground and stays there will put down roots. Many Oregonians have lost ground in their backyard year by year to these prolific bushes. So, when we prepared to engage in the mission that we felt that God called us to, we named our organization “La Vigne” French for The Vine, with the heart to see the gospel go out, and to see churches take root with the same pervasive nature as the blackberry bushes that surrounded our little cedar shingled cottage. But how?
I’ve spent the last year discovering methods, tools, and opportunities for just that - a type of church that adapts itself to overcome the obstacles that would stifle its growth. Here in France, two major obstacles are very common that churches have to overcome. The first is finding an affordable building, and the second is finding and supporting a pastor. With evangelical Christianity making up only about 1.5 % of the population, there is also a lot of suspicion and some persecution that affects the church.
The Lord has provided a way to deal with these obstacles by providing a building that will allow us to have what we are calling “La Grande Célébration” or the “Big Celebration” once a month going forward. Our capacity will jump from 49 occupants in our old building to 150 people in the new one. We have booked the building through the end of the year, and soon will be confirming our reservations through the end of June. On the other end of the spectrum, like a branch of a blackberry bush touching the ground, we have “micro churches” that are going to start in September. These groups are REALLY THRILLING! We have several of them up and running, and our church body will be meeting in these “micro-churches” on the Sundays when we don’t have our Grand Celebration. The Lord is doing a big work in the small setting, that is deep, personal, and vibrant.
One of the most active groups that started last spring is a group that Asher started among his unbelieving friends. One of his friends has come to faith, and there are several others who come regularly to learn about the Bible and God’s plan of redemption. In September, the group will move from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, a “Youth Church” as Asher calls it. Almost all of Asher’s friends are coming from atheist or catholic homes, and many of them are incredibly open to diving into God’s word to learn more about Jesus. We are witnessing a true hunger to know Christ, and a sincere desire to follow Him. These «micro-churches» are functioning as discipleship groups, using an inductive bible study method to delve into God’s word through discussion and discovery questions. We have another group that reminds me of something we see in the book of Acts, with a whole family learning at the same time, as we share the Word with three generations of the family simultaneously. The results have been that people who were far from God are building a healthy and biblically based relationship with their creator.
What are our biggest needs in this season?
PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER !!
Without a doubt, the biggest need that we have right now is prayer, prayer, and more prayer. More than any other season of our service here in France, we need consistent, faithful prayer warriors who are willing to join us in covering this work in prayer. We are asking you to join us in prayer and to share with your church families to please commit to praying for us as we serve here, as well as for your brothers and sisters in the Lord who are coming to Christ and growing in Him. Pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers to enter into the harvest that surrounds us. The need is vast and urgent. Pray that the Spirit would open hearts to receive the good news of salvation. Pray to the Lord of the harvest for laborers in this field.
If you would like to commit to praying for us, click here.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT NEEDS
In addition to our monthly support needs, we have several additional expenses coming up this fall.
First, Sonia will be starting the Biblical Counseling Program through the Institut Biblique de Genève, taking online classes to further equip her for the work of the ministry that she feels the Lord is leading her to. Please pray for her studies, for the financial resources needed for her tuition and books, and for grace with balancing ministry, studies, family, and personal life. Sonia’s focus on Biblical Counseling is an essential part of our ministry, giving biblically based counsel to members of our church body that helps to develop healthy relationships with God and with one another.
Also, I will be continuing my studies at the seminary, working towards my bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies, with a focus on missions. My objective for pursuing my bachelor’s degree is to have a degree recognized by the French that will allow me to participate in the creation of a training center in our area that will help train pastors and church planters through a nationally recognized program. The price for our tuition, books, and transportation works out to about 2500€ each per year (5000€ total)
Lastly, we have been juggling back and forth with one car for the last 8 years, and it’s worked out, but we are now at a point where our car needs repairs that equal its value, and we’re not very sure how long it will last. We need to replace our car with a reliable used car very soon, as I will be driving back and forth to school a couple of days per week in addition to our normal ministry needs.
Click here if you feel led to support financially
The Beginning of Big Things
Sonia and I have been praying together with our leadership team through this last season. God is doing a huge work, and we feel that we are just at the beginning! Our prayer is that the Lord will use our little church to grow a network of healthy, Biblically sound disciples that multiply disciples. Thank you for walking with us during the past 8 years of this adventure, and for joining us now, at the beginning of big things.
May the Lord bless you as you abide in Him!