July news

Hi everyone

Time for an update from a very hot and sunny Marseille!

Like I said in my previous letter, this is usually a much quieter time because people are away for the Summer holidays, but it has been an interesting time of transition for me and our church, with me stepping into lead the church while Matt and Christy are away on sabbatical for the next 5 months.

Our team of leaders praying for me as I step into this new role

Prayers appreciated!

Please pray for me in this new season - for wisdom, protection and grace to lead well, along with our team.

One of my first tasks pastoring the church was to organise a funeral unexpectedly for one of our dear members. Emilie was only 32 years old and we have been trusting God for her healing (and for a new kidney - she had been on dialysis for a while). She is now fully healed with Jesus, but it is still a very painful and unexpected loss for our church community.

Please pray for her family
and close friends, and for wisdom and grace for us to help people navigate their grief.
Her partner is Muslim and he and 12 people from his family attended the funeral, so I had the opportunity to share the gospel during the service - a first for me, sharing the gospel in French at a funeral service. I am trusting God that good seeds were planted in their hearts and I pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to them in the coming months.

Baptism season continues :)

In happier news, I had the privilege of baptising Katy Esther at the beach at the end of July. Always such a great moment to celebrate on the beach and for the public to have the opportunity to witness a water baptism and ask questions.

Katy Esther sharing on what water baptism means to her

Small group wrap up

Also at the end of July, our small group shared a great moment together with dinner on the beachfront, reflecting on the year and what God has done in each of our lives!

Beautiful people, beautiful Marseille

Summer Discipleship vibes

I’m so proud of Christina - she recently preached an amazing message on Faith as part of our Foundations series. I love to see the next generation empowered to do great things for God!

European Student Leaders video

In my last letter I shared with you about our European Student Leaders Camp - we have a brief recap video here if you’d like to see a glimpse of what we got up to :)

Preaching

I will be doing a bit more preaching in my new role, so we are currently in the middle of our Foundations series which I will finish and then we are preparing for a new preaching series on Identity and Purpose which I am super excited about!

Venue update

Some good news is that we have been able to extend our rental contract for our current venue (even though we are still trusting God for a bigger space), but with Matt and Christy leaving, changing the venue would have been a bit unsettling.
So we will stay put with the understanding that if they find a buyer for the building, we will have 2 months notice - and if we find a new venue, we can give 2 months notice. So that helps for the time being! Thank You, Jesus!

Thank You

Thank you all so much for your continued support - your financial partnership and prayer make ALL the difference to. every life impacted here in Marseille and in Europe. I am trusting God for more partners to join my team, so if you know of anyone with a heart for Europe and missions, please connect me!

I appreciate you all so much and am praying for you.
This comes with lots of love,

Fiona

Every Nation Marseille