les Davey de France

Well, not really. I mean the house is now on the market. What do you think? Three bedrooms, detached, corner plot. Big rooms (16'x12' lounge and main bedroom, all bedrooms 12' long) Downstairs toilet, downstairs study (converted garage), additional garage. £170,000 Just below the national average house price (which is about £180,000, I think) We were pretty sad putting it on the market. It's a nice house and we've been really happy here. But please still pray for a good quick sale!

Airbus A380 taking off for its maiden flight

What has this to do with us going to France? Well the wings are made at our new enormous factory here in Broughton, Deeside, North Wales, and they are shipped on the "Ville de Bordeaux" to Bordeaux's port at Paulliac for further transport by road to Toulouse where the whole plane is assembled, and where it flew today! Excited? I should say! (By the way, it has crossed my mind that they might have room for a couple of sofas on the "Ville de Bordeaux" en route from Deeside to Bordeaux...)

It is not easy for us today to grasp the sheer scale of what was achieved in such a short time in the 1550s and 60s. Here is another article that records God's breathtaking blessing on the brave, visionary and sacrificial Geneva mission to France.   http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/reformation/france/16thc.shtml    

You can read the whole thing at: http://reformed-theology.org/html/issue04/calvin.htm   Missionaries sent into France It is widely believed that the Reformers of the sixteenth century were not involved in missionary activity. That is simply not the case. John Calvin was involved in the work of sending missionaries to Brazil. Doors into Brazil did not open at that time and those involved in the attempt lost their lives. However the mission field is not only lands far off. Indeed France constituted a mission field. Unlike present day France, which is almost entirely secular in outlook, the France of the 16th century was religious but dominated by the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. Persecution by the priests against evangelicals was fierce. It could cost your life to actively propagate the evangelical faith. However within the Roman Church a very considerable Bible movement had taken place through the secret reading of books by Luther as well as through the teaching...

In the 16th century, largely through the missionary vision of John Calvin more churches were established in France in a very few years than exist today. This in a much smaller population and with none of the benefits of modern communications and travel. Here is an extract from an article speaking about this. .. In 1555 the first Huguenot congregation to have a permanent minister was established in Paris. By 1558, this congregation was worshipping in the open guarded by armed sympathisers. In 1559, the first synod (national council) was held in Paris. 72 local congregations were represented by the elders from each congregation. In some regions of France travelling ministers had to be used but this was never a major problem as the organisation of the church was so tight. Many Huguenot communities were near each other so communication was never really a problem. Educated merchants were drawn to Calvinism. This occurred probably as a result of the impact of the Renaissance and as a reactio...

I hope that this week I will have an opportunity to talk about UFM, France & Bordeaux at a conference for pastors. Maybe this will open up further appointments to present the needs and opportunities to churches. Please pray for this. The work in France needs lots of workers - fellow-workers in France and fellow-workers in prayer and in finance here, too.