Thank you very much for your continued and gracious support for the Faculté Jean Calvin in Aix-en-Provence through The Huguenot Fellowship. It is loving support like yours that sustains FJC, its faculty and students, and by extension the furtherance of the Gospel in the French-speaking world.
Regarding FJC, we are pleased to report that there are presently about 75 students in the Bachelor/Master of Divinity program, i.e., the first 3 years of theological studies. Of these nearly 90% are in the distance learning program, attending courses remotely. In this regard FJC is making very good use of modern computer and internet technology. While FJC would naturally prefer that all students study "in person," that is not possible for many of them, and we have observed that such distance learning can be very effective. This is especially true when the students are highly motivated like those at FJC.
In addition, FJC presently has 40 students in its formal Master/Master of Divinity program, i.e., years 4 and 5 of theological studies. Most of them are "on campus" students, meaning that they come to Aix-en-Provence for 5 intensive sessions at FJC every year. FJC is also very pleased to have 5 Ph.D. students at this time.
Moreover, FJC presently has approximately 60 "à la carte" students, students who take one or more particular courses without entering into a degree program. In fact, FJC has partnerships in French-speaking Africa where about 20 students follow FJC courses.
It may interest you to know that the on-campus students are typically younger, ranging from 18 to 30 years of age, while the other groups of students tend to fall in the 25 - 50 age bracket.
We also want you to know where and how FJC students enter into ministry. After their studies, graduates from Faculté Jean Calvin pursue a diversity of callings. At least half are called to pastor a church, serving churches from the whole evangelical spectrum. In doing so, they serve the Body of Christ and not just one denomination. Most of them serve in France because the need is very great. In fact, the National Council of French Evangelicals calls for 1000 pastors to be trained in the next 10 years... and only to replace pastors retiring.
Our FJC graduates are also very passionate about church planting and renewal. They also put in practice their apologetic skills (apologetics is a distinct feature of Faculté Jean Calvin). Some graduates have been called by the Lord to serve in positions of great responsibility in the French evangelical world. They also serve evangelical ministries in publishing, Christian education, emergency relief, and many other evangelical non-governmental organizations. More importantly, they are all involved in their local churches and participate in God's mission to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth.
We thank you for your interest and your continued support. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. (hello@huguenotfellowship.org)
Most sincerely in Christ,
Brian Wunder
Donor Relations Committee
The Huguenot Fellowship