Commission Exécutive Elargie at Montauban
Yesterday was the meeting of the commission éxécutive élargie at Montauban. This roughly equates to the AECW North Wales Regional Council that we used to hold before our reorganisation last year. The commission covers approximately Acquitaine and Languedoc (though I'd need to locate all the churches named on a map to be sure!) and normally consists of 7 nominated people, 3 pastors and 4 non-pastors. Yesterdays was élargie to include a number of invited people.
Montauban is a nice little town with a deep river gorge running through it, and three closely placed bridges. The church is on one side of the river and has attached an old seminary with cloisters. This is now a retirement home. The church is quite spectacular! I took some pictures which I will load up later if I get my camera back today. I left it at our church. Tomorrow if not.
These meetings are very useful for
a. Getting the lie of the land. The big towns and cities have quite strong churches. The rural areas struggle. Bordeaux is a pioneer situation, linked to a rural area in Blaye. It's interesting to see how things are changing in the denomination and the challenges they are facing.
b. for getting tips.
We travelled with a chap from near La Rochelle who has begun a church in an area where lots of English people buy their holiday homes. There are 4 flights a day into La Rochelle now. So the church's services are bilingual. They sing in French and in English, readings are also in both languages and he preaches in French, simultaneously translated (with occasional added touches of humour) by his American wife. Following the service there's lunch. Then a walk (he lives near the beach). Then an evening Bible study and folk go home mid-evening. The costs of the meal (there's seldom fewer than 20 people for lunch) are shared out amongst those who eat. And it all works out very well.
Toulouse has a Korean church which currently has no pastor. So the pastor from our church in Toulouse (who is South African) preaches in English and someone then translates in Korean.
Here in Bordeaux we have a sizeable British ex-pat community. It isn't so much holiday home people. After all prices are high and the city is busy. It's mainly people who have come with their work. Then there is the growing work amongst the Chinese, which really seems to have taken off this year. Maybe a church could be started with someone preaching in French or English, with translation into Chinese by someone capable. Many of the Chinese have better English than French, and many really need to use Mandarin.
Montauban is a nice little town with a deep river gorge running through it, and three closely placed bridges. The church is on one side of the river and has attached an old seminary with cloisters. This is now a retirement home. The church is quite spectacular! I took some pictures which I will load up later if I get my camera back today. I left it at our church. Tomorrow if not.
These meetings are very useful for
a. Getting the lie of the land. The big towns and cities have quite strong churches. The rural areas struggle. Bordeaux is a pioneer situation, linked to a rural area in Blaye. It's interesting to see how things are changing in the denomination and the challenges they are facing.
b. for getting tips.
We travelled with a chap from near La Rochelle who has begun a church in an area where lots of English people buy their holiday homes. There are 4 flights a day into La Rochelle now. So the church's services are bilingual. They sing in French and in English, readings are also in both languages and he preaches in French, simultaneously translated (with occasional added touches of humour) by his American wife. Following the service there's lunch. Then a walk (he lives near the beach). Then an evening Bible study and folk go home mid-evening. The costs of the meal (there's seldom fewer than 20 people for lunch) are shared out amongst those who eat. And it all works out very well.
Toulouse has a Korean church which currently has no pastor. So the pastor from our church in Toulouse (who is South African) preaches in English and someone then translates in Korean.
Here in Bordeaux we have a sizeable British ex-pat community. It isn't so much holiday home people. After all prices are high and the city is busy. It's mainly people who have come with their work. Then there is the growing work amongst the Chinese, which really seems to have taken off this year. Maybe a church could be started with someone preaching in French or English, with translation into Chinese by someone capable. Many of the Chinese have better English than French, and many really need to use Mandarin.
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