Today, our team participated in a multi-church youth rally hosted by the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste in Paris. Four churches came together along with our team for a day of competitions, worship, and preaching.
Churches in France tend to be small (30-100 people), so the youth groups are small as well. Gatherings like this provide a wonderful opportunity for French young people to fellowship and make new Christian friends. Today’s gathering was for teenagers and young adults, so it was a great chance for our team members to fellowship with new friends of similar ages.
For this particular youth rally, all of the young people were divided into teams for games and competitions. All of the different church groups were mingled together on the teams. Many of the French students spoke some English and our students did a great job of working through any communication barriers.
Maggie Cannon, a 2024 graduate of Pensacola Christian College, shared the following testimony from her time there today:
“Follow Me: this was the theme of today. We heard a message from Dr. Adam Watt from the gospel of Luke concerning leaving it all and following Jesus. In the gospel of Matthew, we read of Peter following Christ, becoming a fisher of men. But Luke 5:11 says, “they forsook all and followed Him.” To follow Jesus, you must give your all to Him. You do not give it up and then go right back to forsake all and follow Him.
We had the great privilege to fellowship with many young adults. We shared the gospel, worshipped the Lord, and played many fun games. One of these games was Bible trivia; this was such a fun way to share the gospel. While fellowshipping I had the opportunity to share the gospel with a young high school teacher! I loved the atmosphere and the opportunity to grow in my walk with the Lord through the conversations had today.”
Beyond the friendly competition, our team was able to help in many ways during the day. In keeping with the rally theme, the team sang “Suivez Moi” (Follow Me) in French. During the course of the day, Isabella and Josh were able to share their testimonies with the group. Both spoke of the conscious decision to surrender their lives and to follow God into whatever area He called them.
God provided safety for all of our team members and some wonderful opportunities to share the Gospel with some of the teenagers and young adults who came to the rally. This was an incredible outreach, and we are so thankful to have had the opportunity to contribute.
Afterwards, we headed home for dinner and some rest. Some of the guys gathered around a computer to watch a soccer match; many others gathered around the piano for a spontaneous time of praise.
Tomorrow, we set out early for the center of Paris to attend morning services in the Eglise Biblique Baptiste de Paris (Bible Baptist Church of Paris). We will provide special music in French in the morning service and attend a church fellowship afterwards. Please pray for safety, particularly in driving into downtown Paris and finding parking. Pray also for good spiritual results from today’s rally and the ongoing effectiveness of our ministry.