PAUL & KARAN DAVIS ~
TEAM, France
FBA Faith Promise Missionaries - Paul and Karan serve with TEAM with an emphasis on church-planting in France. The Davis' ministries include
preaching, teaching, as well as discipleship and leadership training.
Their plan is to multiply their ministry efforts by starting a
church-planter training center to teach French believers how to start
new churches in cities with no Gospel witness. Paul serves on the France
leadership team, the French National Church Council and the Language
School Council. In addition to the church's outreach activity, Karan is
involved in several community groups which gives her opportunities to
meet others and share her faith. She is especially interested in
children and youth ministries, as well as hospitality.
Update on their ministry: They turned over the Pontcharra Church (which they started in 2010) to French leadership in January 2020. Since then, they've served as regional coordinators/supervisors for seven churches in the Alps region of France, as well as coaches/mentors to new missionaries, new French pastors, and church leaders nationwide. Paul is also a member of TEAM’s Commission on Church-Planting in Europe.
View the video (filmed June 21, 2014) on the miracle of God providing Pontcharra Church their own building! Miracle of Pontcharra Church This is the story of how God proved himself faithful to a group of Christians wanting to start an Evangelical church in the city of Pontcharra, France.
They have focused on coaching churches in their area under the
restrictions
imposed by Covid, including innovative ways to maintain worship,
discipleship,
fellowship, and outreach. They are thankful for the multiple opportunities to share
the hope that they
have in Christ. The French population in general is stressed out and very
anxious about getting the virus and if so, surviving it. They long to see more
come to Christ.
The churches have learned to expand their ministries by live-streaming their
worship services and maintaining small groups by Zoom. They see the benefits of
these extensions and want to continue offering them even after life gets back
to
normal. Many people are being reached by these means who would most likely
not
come to one of their services.
Older French flag Paul & Karan New French flag
White represents the monarchy, while blue and red represent the colours of the city of Paris,
which according to the mayor, are signs of “the noble and eternal
alliance between the monarch and the people”. The tricolour cockade thus
became a symbol of patriotism and began to appear on lapels.
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Paul and Karan share below how we can pray more specifically for France (1/12/2023)
The National Council of French Evangelicals published the numbers for 2022. Highlights:
- There are 745,000 French believers who regularly practice their faith in Christ, which is 1% of the population and 15 times more than 70 years ago. Much more work needs to be done before every person in France has access to a clear presentation of the Gospel.
- There are 2,700 evangelical churches in France or one church for every 25,000 people; there was only one church for every 65,000 when we came to France in 1978. Where we live in the French Alps, there is only one church for every 34,000. We need to start more churches, but currently have no candidates to do that work.
- It should also be noted that 1,000 churches in France need pastors to fill positions vacated by retiring pastors. We need more workers.
- French believers have focused on communicating the Gospel and planting churches right here in France (and rightly so!), but they have been less active in sending their own missionaries to parts of the world with even less access to the Gospel. A major player in changing that trend is "Connect Missions", a French organization dedicated to the coordination and networking of missions-minded efforts in France. Our former intern, Michael Jacquet, was recently appointed as the new Director. TEAM will officially join Connect Missions in March, with Paul serving as liaison. Pray with us that those French churches will become missions-minded churches with the joy of sending out missionaries to a lost world.
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PRAYER & PRAISE ~ February 22-28, 2023
2/22
Andrew & Anna Gorski
In
Touch Mission International, Poland
Amazing
Grace church and Evangelical Poland are looking for a new location in Poznan,
Poland. The new building will serve the Church in Poland as EP Training Center.
Please pray that the fundraising which began in February will bring fruit.
2/23
J & R
USA/Central
Asia
Pray
for their English courses for men and women which began in mid-January and
continue until mid-May. Pray for
guidance and unity as J&R seek to organize their ministry for the refugees.
Pray for Christian radio and satellite broadcasts into their ministry country.
There has been great response to these programs.
2/24 MARK
& JANA FAUS
SIM USA,
Inc., USA/Worldwide
Pray for
Mark as he travels to Kenya the end of February. The event in Kenya is SIM’s
global leadership gathering, called the Global Assembly, and Mark will be
required to lead several governance training sessions. Pray for Mark’s
preparations in developing new governance workshop materials that are pertinent
and effective for SIM global board network. 2/25
Gary & Esther Smith
Ethnos360,
Papua New Guinea
Pray
for Gary and Esther as they map out plans for their
seven-month home assignment beginning in June of this year. Please pray for direction,
answers, appointments, and healing of Esther’s Acoustic Neuroma. Pray for a place
to live, vehicle to drive, finances for all the medical expenses that are more
than their budget can handle, extra costs of tickets and moving.
2/26
Keith & Jaci Patman
Wycliffe
Bible Translators, USA/Central Africa
Keith
is serving as a grader and prayer supporter for the new Perspectives class that
started in Naples last night (even though they do not live in Florida any
longer). Please pray that the Lord will use the 15 lessons to help the students
engage more fully in His worldwide kingdom work.
2/27 PAUL & KARAN DAVIS (This week's blog guests)
TEAM, France
Connect Missions is a
French organization dedicated to the coordination and networking of
missions-minded efforts in France. TEAM will officially join Connect
Missions in March, with Paul serving as liaison. Pray with them that
those French churches will become missions-minded churches with the joy
of sending out missionaries to a lost world.
2/28
R & B
Central
Africa
Praise God that two of R & B’s friends have been promoting
their upcoming writing contest at an annual cultural festival. They have been
able to appear on the national TV channel, as well as be interviewed by the
national radio station, give books to both the President and the Prime
Minister, as well as dozens of flyers to interested passers-by.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)
Our monthly Prayer & Praise Calendar is also available on fba.org/globalmissions
