French Ministries

little activity

Jared — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:52:40 +0000

For reasons of security and privacy, we have chosen to not write too much on this blog lately. We may write a bit from time to time, but it will likely be rather limited. You are welcome to e-mail us at your discretion. Thank you for your interest. Jared

Divine Irony

Jared — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:33:43 +0000

You may find what I did this afternoon rather interesting. I went to help an older woman from our church remove some old beams from the basement of her house/apt. The beams used to be part of her apt. before they cut out a section to finish off the attic. Anyway, the beams are original to this house which belonged to Voltaire’s family. This is where he was apparently born (1694). There is even on the roof a big bust of him (see attached picture). I couldn’t help but keep one of these beams. I’m sure if the historical/cultural society knew what we were doing (taking them to the dump even though they were almost all rotten), they would not have been too happy.

Anyway, interesting to have an old beam from Voltaire’s house and also to know that Irène (a faithful godly Christian) has lived there for 30+ years.
Voltaire was a critic of the Bible and died as a miserable depressed man. He is the one who said, “in 100 years, the Bible will no longer be in print.” Years later, the Geneva Bible Society acquired his house (another one) and set up a Bible printing shop.

Opportunities

Jared — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:35:39 +0000

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening, I take the 30 minute train ride from our apt. to Paris. And every time, I began to see the same familiar faces. Some of them live in our apt. complex, others elsewhere.

Yesterday, on my way in, I sat with a guy about my age who lives where we are. Great opportunity! On my way back, I see another familiar face. She lives by us as well and has a child who is friends with Bryce. Another opportunity.

Last week, there was a woman who I ended up sitting by. She lives one train stop up from us. We began to talk. I told her I was a Christian. She told me that she had been invited one time to a church near where we live, which is a really good Bible-believing/preaching church. Anyway, before she got off, we exchanged contact info. This past weekend she called us to see about getting together. So, later this afternoon, Rebekah and I, along with the kids went to visit her over a cup of coffee and cake. It turned to be a great visit. Her name is Christiane and her sister lives with her. I got to share the gospel with them. They seemed thrilled for us to be with them. Before leaving, we read the first chapter of Luke together. I told them that its a great time to do so with Christmas and all approaching. Please pray for these women. They are eager to get together with us again!

Rise of French evangelicals puts secularism in a spin

Jared — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:56:22 +0000

Belief in the gospel truth is spreading.

As the piano strikes up, the congregation sways, fists in the air, murmurs of hallelujah punctuating the music. Pastor Franck Lefillatre, bathed in the spotlight on his podium, intones into a microphone.

”Let out the words that are in your heart,” he urges. His whispers crescendo to booming rhetoric. Behind him, emblazoned in gold lettering, are the words: ”Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today, eternally.”

As evangelical services go, this gathering on a rainy Sunday is nothing unusual. In countless churches across the US and many countries, it would be a staple means of Christian worship.

But this is not the American Bible Belt. It is the Church of Paris-Bastille, and this congregation is one of a growing number of evangelical communities spreading through France and prospering in spite of its secular – and Catholic – traditions.

From a postwar population of about 50,000, French evangelicals are now estimated to number 450,000 to 500,000. According to the Evangelical Federation of France, the number of churches has risen from 800 in 1970 to more than 2200 today.

Last week, the boom made headlines when thousands of evangelicals descended on Strasbourg to turn the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth into a huge media-covered event.

On paper, France would seem one of the least likely places for this branch of Christianity to gain a foothold. For centuries, Protestantism was the embattled minority in a country Catholics liked to call the ”eldest daughter of the church” because of its strong ties to Rome. That minority still makes up just 3 per cent of the population.

More importantly, ever since France wrote a separation of church and state into the constitution, the country has worshipped at the altar of laicite – the concept of a secular state.

So the emergence of evangelicals as a force has raised eyebrows, with some critics questioning whether their beliefs are compatible with the values of a secular republic. They are associated in many minds with the politically powerful movement of the US religious right.

Jean-Francois Colosimo, a writer and religious historian, provoked a furious backlash from evangelicals when, after it emerged that France’s intelligence services had launched a ”census” of the domestic population, he said: ”Everything in France would seem to ban a politico-religious mixture. But laicite is fragile and temptations are present” – a direct reference to the evangelicals.

These arguments are rejected as irrelevant by French believers. Just because they have the same faith as the Americans and a similar style of worship, they say, it does not mean they share the same politics. But Henri Tincq, a religious commentator, said issues such as abortion and homosexuality were creeping up the agenda.
Lizzy DAVIES, Paris
November 8, 2009

http://www.theage.com.au/

Carte de séjour!

Jared — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:52:21 +0000

Just a little note of praise to say that after being here for 9 months, we now have our cartes de séjours, aka our residency cards. We were able to pick them up on Wednesday.

It can be a lengthy and at times very frustrating process dealing with French administration, but we now have them. If there was one wonderful surprise, it was the 600 euros tax that we had to pay before being able to pick them up! Certainly wasn’t too pumped about that one!

At any rate, we are happy to have them. However, in less than a year, we will need to go through the renewal process. They have a validity of only one year.

However, now that we have them, we can now apply for our French driver’s licenses as well as get residency cards for Bryce and Rosalyn.

Would appreciate your prayers for the weekend. I preach again at church and we have a young adults activity Saturday evening.

thats all for now . . . .

Geneva

Jared — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:35:12 +0000

This week has been another very helpful week for me (Jared). One of my goals this year has been to discover the French evangelical world. With that in mind, I have tried to take every opportunity presented to inform myself of churches, fellowships, mission organizations, publishing companies, Bible schools and even a considerable amount of time trying to learn church history as it directly relates to France and Christians here. At times I have been quite encouraged while other times rather disappointed.

This week, I was quite encouraged with what I was able to see. After being at a pastoral meeting all day on Monday where we continued discussing specific church-related issues (going through a great book on the church by Mark Dever), I headed home to pack my bags for a trip to the Institut Biblique de Genève (Geneva Bible Institute).

The school has been around for over 100 years and has had its challenges like every institution. However, with a very strong philosophy of ministry and doctrinal position under the leadership of a new president, I left very encouraged and excited about what God is doing through their ministry.

If I told you that the school had an incoming class of just a little more than 25 students, you might think, “well, thats rather small isn’t it?!” Compared to the states where a Bible college of 700 is considered small, you are right! Its tiny in comparison! But that gives you just a little perspective of what we are dealing with here in France. Although there are two other Bible schools in Paris (both nearly the same size), both of them have VERY strong ecumenical tendencies. It is sad to think that these two schools have chosen over the past few years to weaken their doctrinal stance in order to accomodate others . . . all b/c by not doing so, they would risk having their doors close for lack of students. I don’t believe the Bible teaches us that the end result justifies the means . . . and that is what I believe these two schools have done over the years. I am happy to say that Geneva Bible Institute continues to take a strong doctrinal stance. I hope to be able to visit another school in Algrange (NE France) in the near future as well.

Most of my time was spent getting to know and talk to the students as well as sitting in a class on the History of the Bible. I was thrilled to meet a student there from Corsica who got saved after hearing a missionary friend of mine (Andrew Barnes) preach. I got into the city a little one evening to look around, but other than that, I didn’t really do too much sightseeing. I did get to see their library, and although I saw some great resources, I was once again reminded of how blessed the English-speaking world is. Americans in particular have SO much Christian resources at their disposal. I may try over time to mail them books/commentaries (they are ok if they are in English). They said they would be really thankful for that. Some of you may have heard of D.A. Carson and know that he grew up in French-speaking Canada and consequently is bi-lingual. He visits the school frequently and has and continues to be a great resource/help to them.

I got home last evening with a bit of Swiss chocolate for the family. I’m ok being gone for a few days, but then I really start to miss them. Tonight we go to a Bible conference at a church nearby. Katie (Rebekah’s sister) will be playing the piano for a choir that will be singing there tomorrow. Looking forward to a good time and another learning experience. More than anything, this year is a year of learning . . . and boy, is there ever a lot to learn!

Well, this is all for the moment. Thanks for your ongoing prayers.

July/August update

Jared — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:41:41 +0000

June ran right into July with Jared participating in a France Discovery Trip organized annually by the Baptist Alliance of France. There were nine of us in the group who traveled all over the country visiting various ministries as well as significant Protestant historical sites. It was a FANTASTIC opportunity! Several in the group (Americans) took some steps forward in their walk with the Lord. It was really neat to see God at work in their lives as they not only were exposed to the needs here but also encouraged by the testimony of French believers. One particular highlight was when we visited the John Calvin Museum I (Jared) along with a French pastor my age, were both interviewed by the local tv network. We had a great opportunity to share the gospel with the two journalists. Our interview aired on the local tv station that week.
Once back from this trip, our family got to go on a vacation down to the southern part of France. We have older friends who let us stay in their mountain home. We ate figs and apricots from the trees, camped out with Bryce, took long hikes, went swimming in the streams, visited an old abandoned castle, grilled out every night (even a piece of boar offered to us by the neighbor), and just had a great time together as a family.
In August, Jared was able to take an extremely helpful French course. Throughout the month, God gave him at least four SUPER opportunities to share the gospel. Please pray that the gospel will take root in the lives of Julia, Theresa and Anna. The other is a professor. Additionally, as of August, Jared is on the Sunday morning preaching rotation. What a great opportunity to share the Word of God! Between visiting folks in the church, preaching two Sundays in a row, as well as the French course, it was a busy time.
August quickly came to a close and now it is Rebekah and Bryce’s turn to be in school. For the first time in several years, Rebekah is once again a full-time student. We have been looking forward to this day, but now that it is here, we realize how much we will miss not seeing each other more throughout the week. She is, however, really excited about her classes. Please pray for her during this time of adjustment. It is hard for a mother to leave her kids throughout the day. We are excited about the very soon arrival of Rebekah’s sister, Katie. She plans to stay with us for the year and help us with the children. We are also really looking forward to getting a few more date nights into our schedule!
Many of you know that Rebekah has a heart to minister to those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Well, God knows this as well, b/c we continue to come into contact with them. The couple who let us use their place in southern France has a nephew who is deaf from birth. It was great to meet him and his wife (she is deaf as well). Most recently, we found out that the cleaning lady at her school is also deaf. She is really nice, and Rebekah looks forward to being able to develop a relationship with her. We are discovering that although many signs differ b/t ASL and French sign language, there are a lot of similarities b/t them.
Please pray for an unmarried couple that has been visiting our church lately. K recently began attending our church. Originally from Gabon, he is here in France pursuing a law degree. After seeing him come out several times, we invited him to our house. A relationship began to develop, and before long, not only did we realize that the person he was living with was his girlfriend, but we also learned that they have a newborn. The first Sunday C (his girlfriend) came to church, Jared preached from Romans 12.1-2. God is clearly working in their lives. Most recently, she approached us and told us the decision they made toward moral purity. PLEASE pray for them. They are in a tricky housing situation (very difficult to find in Paris) with basically no family. We would like to begin marital counseling with them soon and see them get married. Pray that God would give them courage to obey God and pursue holy living, no matter what the cost might be.
We end our news & prayer update with a very sincere thank you for your faithful love, support and encouragement. A special thank you to our home sending church, Calvary Baptist, for their revamped website. Pastor Tim’s weekly blogs have been a personal blessing to Jared, and we have really enjoyed being able to listen to some great messages! Praise God for technology!
So thankful for the opportunity to serve a great God here in France!

Jared, Rebekah, Bryce & Rosalyn Stevenson

Mini June Update

Jared — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:35:33 +0000

Just to let you all know that we are all doing very well and getting more and more settled into our lives over here. I preached on Sunday at another church in Paris than the one we are attending. The pastor was absent, and I was thankful for the opportunity. It is a challenge preaching in French, but when it is all said and done, I really enjoy it.

Bryce began school about a month ago and seems to be making the adjustment just fine considering he is still has limitations with French. He goes four mornings a week, and we believe it will be a good thing for him and us. We have already been able to get to know some of our neighbors through it. Please pray that we will be able to have wisdom as we seek to develop relationships with them. He only has two more weeks until the summer vacation.

Rebekah has really made excellent progress with her French. Her classes will end the first week of July. She is now able to carry on conversations in French and get her way around. I am pretty proud of her. Beginning in Sept., she will be in French classes 20 hrs/wk, so she will be very busy.

As we and our ministry come to mind, please pray about our future involvement with the church that we are currently attending. The church is one of the older Bible-preaching churches in Paris (prior to WWII, there was barely anything over here . . .having been wiped out previously by so much persecution of Christians), having started in the late 40′s early 50′s by various bi-vocational missionaries from Switzerland, England and Italy. They have lost a lot of members over the past few years for a variety of reasons and have not had a pastor for the past two years.

They are strategically located in the heart of Paris very very close to the Sorbonne and naturally the university hub of the city. Naturally, this is very interesting to us as we have a desire to have a ministry among college students at some point. They have their own church property, which is all but impossible for any new church wanting to get off the ground in such a major expensive city. Although they have a decent core of people, many of them are older and in poor health. We don’t know what God has for our future with this ministry, but we are open to staying in this area a bit longer and helping them if God were to make that clear to us over the next year. In many respects it would almost be a re-implantation of a church. There is incredible opportunity, but I have to admit that I am scared! They are in STRONG need of help and leadership. I just feel so inadequate.

I was able to teach the mid-week Bible study again last week and beginning in August will be preaching one Sunday morning a month. Also, their young adults group has lost some key leaders (one who has just finished Bible school and heading to Chad as a missionary) and so it looks like we may be able to offer some leadership with this in the fall. We now have regular Sat afternoon outreach on the major boulevard, we have some building projects underway, plans to start up some monthly church activities soon . . . tons of things!

So, if you could keep this a matter of prayer, we would greatly appreciate it. We really need the Lord’s wisdom in this matter. One of Mark Dever’s books on the church has been translated into French. At some point, I would like to suggest to some of the leadership that we work through it as a group.

I am still looking to take some additional French classes as well, and that might be beginning as early as August. Please pray that God leads me to the right institution. Rebekah’s sister will be coming in September and spending the year with us as a nanny, so we are really excited about her arrival. It ought to free me up a bit more so I can get more involved in this ministry in Paris.

Tomorrow (Sat. June 26th), I will be going on a trip that will take me all over France visiting various ministries as well as some historical sites specifically related to Christianity here in France. I look forward to another learning opportunity! Please pray for Rebekah in my absence!

All for now! Additional news was shared in a news letter recently sent out!

April News

Jared — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:24:37 +0000

Dear Friends and Family,

Jared and I wanted to give you an update about what has been happening in our lives here in France since early last month. We are doing well and thank the Lord for bringing us here to minister! He continues to give direction for which we are so thankful.

Thank you for praying for my schooling. Jared mentioned in the last letter that due to our arrival date, I would be unable to begin language school full time at Les Cedres (the school where I have applied) until the fall. However, the classes I am taking three days a week through an association our town offers have been a huge help to me! I really feel as if I am making progress and meeting people in the local communities along the way. I hope that I will be able to advance faster once I begin full time in September.

Thank you as well for praying that God would direct us to a ministry where we can serve during our time in the Paris area. We have found a church currently without a pastor that is in need of help and encouragement. The church is located right in the university sector of the city with great opportunities for evangelism. Jared is now in charge of a stand that is set up on Saturdays distributing Christian literature. He has been out several times passing out tracts and Bibles. Last Friday, around 60 people (almost exclusively university students) accepted the offer for a free Bible! He also had the opportunity to teach the Thursday night Bible study recently. We pray that we will be able to be a blessing to these French believers and see some fruit from our labors.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Savior!

Sincerely,
Rebekah Stevenson (for the family)

A Quick Note From the Other Side . . .

Jared — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:36:22 +0000

It has now been one week since I (Jared) first arrived here in France. All went smoothly with my flight over. I am very happy to finally be here and have been busy working on getting things set up. Everything takes time, so this past week has been an exercise of patience. However, I now have a cell phone and was able to purchase a vehicle on Friday, so I guess progress is being made.

My brother-in-law has been an enormous help to me! As you can well imagine, arriving in a foreign country and having no previous history can make it very tricky. We have been able to visit several apartments so far. However, b/c housing is limited and in such high demand in the Paris area, the owner can be very selective with whom he/she chooses to occupy their place.

On Monday, I will be moving into temporary housing in southern Paris, the area where we will be settling for a period of time. This ought to make it easier to continue my housing search. Praise the Lord for a contact of a Christian in that region who has a place for me to stay until housing has been secured.

Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. I certainly look forward to my family joining me soon. . . . hopefully very soon, because I am beginning to really miss them!

Have a great weekend!

Jared