France

To try and help address the shortage of gospel workers in France, the Perspectives network of churches has launched a 4-year training programme to help equip volunteers for service within their local churches. The training is being made freely available to all churches within the evangelical FEF Network (nearly 500 in total). Please pray for the ongoing impact of this initiative and, in addition, please ask the Lord to raise up more full-time or bi-vocational workers for the growing evangelical population in France.

Please praise the LORD with Al Massira for wonderful news of precious new So**li Followers in the Body of Christ in Northern Europe! 35 people gathered (Saved and not-yet Saved) to be guided through the Al Massira Introduction session. One young girl gave her life to Christ! 15 So**li Believers are seeking to continue to meet for the whole AM Journey, where they will split into 2 smaller discussion groups. Please pray they will be strengthened, anointed and assured in their faith and given courage to share Christ with others, especially amongst the So**li community. To the glory of God!

France finally has a new government three months after the general election. The new Prime Minister is Michel Barnier, who was previously the chief EU negotiator in relation to Brexit. The centre-right government is very fragile because it was the left-wing parties that did best in the election. Please pray that French Christians may be salt and light during these difficult political times, committed to all aspects of the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5).

About 30 French delegates attended the 4th Lausanne Congress in South Korea at the end of September. Representatives of the CNEF (French Evangelical Alliance) returned with a desire to take forward initiatives developed at the Congress, specifically the urgent need for wider mobilisation for mission, the need for greater collaboration between churches, the importance of training, and the transmission of missionary values to young people. Please pray for the CNEF as they seek to put these priorities into practice across France.

Please continue to pray for the Paris Games. At the time of writing, it's Day 5 of the Olympics; the Paralympics will follow on from 28th August to 8th September. The opening ceremony proved controversial, but please pray that Christians will take opportunities to use this controversy to share their gospel hope. Give thanks for good security so far; pray for those whose job is to protect all those present at the competitions. Please pray particularly for the Christian chaplaincy teams who will be serving in the athletes' village throughout the Games. May they have many opportunities to share the love of God and point people towards the Lord Jesus.

The Paris Olympics are due to run from 26 July to 11 August, with the Paralympics to follow from 28 August to 8 September. Please pray for French Christians as they seek to bless their communities and to share Jesus during this period when the world will be focused on France. You can find out more about all that's happening at https://www.ensemble2024.com/en/

Matt & Margaret in France: There is an evident move of the Holy Spirit in Matt and Margaret’s church. Each Sunday they put out more chairs. They ask: ‘Pray for a family who came to church recently, to see what an evangelical church was like. They were thrilled with the welcome, and hardly ever miss a meeting. They now plan to marry. Do pray for them to be kept by His power.’

There are currently (mid-February 2024) two major ethical issues in France that are in the political spotlight. (1) Likely legislation on end-of-life matters where much will depend on whether palliative care and assisted suicide are linked in the same bill or made the subject of two separate pieces of legislation. French Christians are praying that they will be kept separate. (2) The possible inclusion of abortion as a "guaranteed freedom" in the French Constitution (abortion has been legal, and widely practised, in France since 1975). French MPs voted in favour at the end of January; French senators (who play a similar role to the House of Lords in the UK) are currently debating the issue. Evangelicals (and others) are arguing against the change, on the grounds that it is unnecessary and would diminish the rights of children and medical staff. They would appreciate your prayers on both these topics.

From the CNEF (National Council of French Evangelicals): “Pension reform, water management, inflation: French people are worried. The National Institute of Statistics reported in March 2023 that the Household Confidence Index is deteriorating. As children of God, we remember that we have a great and sovereign God who has a plan for peace for humanity. We encourage prayers for social peace in our country, so that elected officials and political and union leaders might have wisdom and discernment. Let us pray for the most vulnerable in French society and for those who have responsibilities in our Churches.”

BMS World Mission’s partner the Federation of French Evangelical Baptist Churches (FEEBF) finished their annual congress yesterday. Pray that as delegates return to their communities, they will be able to carry out their new commitments so that more lives will be reached with the love of Christ. Pray too that in a time of so much uncertainty and darkness across the world, God will use FEEBF to spread his light and hope across France.

Give thanks for the growth of the evangelical church in France. The most recent statistics show there are now 745,000 believers, a figure 15 times higher than in 1950. Praise the Lord for this increase and please pray for continued growth, as the figure still only represents just over 1% of the national population. Please pray too for more pastors to lead these believers; it's estimated that at least 1000 new pastors will be needed over the next decade.  

Opportunities among Jews: France contains the largest Jewish community in Europe at around 447,000. Pray for Jews, particularly in Paris and Marseilles, to encounter Jesus. Pray that God would provide French-speaking Christians, especially Messianic Jews, to move into predominantly Jewish communities and introduce our Messiah to them.