- that churches and their members would profit from the training that the Faculté Jean Calvin offers for their spiritual edification and growth,
- that many Christians in our churches would engage in serving the body of Christ,
- for FJC's Interdisciplinary Day on December 12 dedicated to "Spiritual Combat",
- for the biblical studies of Prof. Rodrigo De Sousa on "Healing" at the annual gathering of the Evangelical Center, and
- for the Christmas Concert of FJC's choir on Saturday, December 9.
Give Thanks For These Dedicated Young Lives
For the academic year 2016/2017, 12 students received a diploma (6 License in theology and 6 Master in theology.) There are 40 new students for the 2017/2018 academic year, added to the 90 students already in training. They are entrusted to our prayers and support!
Theology à la Carte
Remember the Poor
September 2017
Dear Friends,
During tumultuous, eventful times, it is easy to forget the basics. The fundamental message of the gospel is that redemption has been accomplished through Jesus Christ, and that the great benefits of his finished work are available to anyone who asks, by faith. During epochs such as ours, which features terror attacks in Europe, a troubled American presidency, mass emigrations, but also medical advances, and so much more, if we want to respond sensibly we will want to stand on solid ground.
One of the principal gospel essentials is care for the poor. Poverty relief was a principal sign that the Kingdom of God had arrived (Luke 4:18). A mark of true apostleship was remembering the poor (Galatians 2:10; Hebrews 13:16). This ministry is not an appendix, but an integral part of the gospel message.
For anyone who knows them, the French are an extraordinarily compassionate people. If you are ever in trouble, you’ll want to be in France! French believers are particularly sensitive about the neediest. This is attested by the hundreds of Christian relief organizations in that country. One of the best is called Le SEL. It was created in 1980 by the Alliance Évangélique Française, with the purpose of being obedient to the biblical mandate to match words with actions. While its primary mission is poverty relief in developing countries, it has a strong educational commitment, which one can verify by accessing one of their web sites [https://www.topchretien.com/auteurs/sel/].
Our Seminary in Aix is close to Le SEL. As you know, it trains leaders to be gospel proclaimers and also proper social activists. It does this in the classroom, and through mentoring, as well as special colloquia on such questions as “Pauvreté, Justice et Compassion”. In that particular symposium, seminars included, “Jesus’ Attitude toward the Poor”, “Obstacles to Poverty Relief”, “The Causes and Cures for Poverty”, and the like. Such conferences are broadcast far and wide through communications outfits such as Trésorsonore.
This month, the Faculté Jean Calvin begins its forty-third academic year. Please pray that it remain faithful to the full message of the gospel!
Very Truly Yours,
William Edgar, President
Faculté Jean Calvin's 2017 Faculty Team
From left to right:
Kim TRAN, Director
Michel JOHNER, Professor of History, Ethics and the Dean
Paul GIRAUD, Accountant, Choir Director
Aguy KHAYIGUIAN, Academic Assistant, Head of Recruitment
Yannick IMBERT, Professor of Apologetics, History
Mikaël DELUCA, Associate Professor of Hebrew, Head of Distance/e-Learning
Rodrigo DESOUSA, Professor of Old Testament, Hebrew
Donald COBB, Professor of New Testament, Greek
Jean Philippe BRU, Professor of Practical Theology
Gert KWAKKEL, Professor of Old Testament, Hebrew
Pierre-Sovann CHAUNY, Professor of Systematic Theology (not in photo)
We Owe You The Truth On...
... YOUR ORIGINES
... YOUR FUTURE
... YOUR VOCATION
WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS again this year that all of the teaching at the Faculté Jean Calvin will be faithful to the Word of God, and that day by day the students will be enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit.
And, for the Back to School Service, Sunday September 17, with Thierry LE GALL of CNEF.
FACULTÉ JEAN CALVIN
The faculté that is not afraid of the Truth.
Who Is Jean-Philippe Bru?
Jean-Philippe and Dana Bru
Jean-Philippe Bru is the current occupant of the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology at the Faculté Jean Calvin, the Reformed seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France.
The Rev. Bru was born near Bordeaux in 1965, but grew up in Nîmes, a major center of Protestantism in France. His family embraced the evangelical faith in the 1970s. After high school, Jean-Philippe attended the Seminary in Aix for a year. He then trained as a missionary in the Baptist Church, and was sent as a church-planter to Rumania. There he met his lovely wife, Dana. Together they returned to Aix so that Jean-Philippe could complete his studies. Dana is a scholar in her own right, an expert on European literature.
After receiving the Masters degree at Aix, the Brus accepted a call to help with a church-planting effort in Lyon, alongside Francis Foucachon, another graduate from Aix. After six years in that work, the Brus were called to do evangelism in Saint-Girons, a town at the foothills of the Pyrénées, the mountain range bordering on Spain. He has also been a regular translator for Editions Excelsis, the largest evangelical publishing house in France. Jean-Philippe was ordained in the year 2007 in the Evangelical Reformed Church.
Here is how Jean-Philippe describes his sense of call to the Seminary at Aix: “If I accepted the position of professor-coordinator of practical theology, it is of course because I have always been drawn to teaching, but it is especially because I have become more and more aware that pastors needed, in addition to their formal training, to be able to reflect theologically about their practice and to enlarge their toolbox in order better to face the challenges of their ministry.” Jean-Philippe believes the Faculté Jean Calvin is the right place to carry this out.
New Way to Contribute
There’s a new way to make financial contributions to The Huguenot Fellowship. Amazon is willing to make a contribution on your behalf whenever you shop using AmazonSmile. There is no extra cost to you. The amount they contribute is 0.5% of the purchase price on the items your order.
To get started go to smile.amazon.com, and follow the instructions below.
On the right side of the page, see the area: Select a charity. Another charity will be suggested, but you want to type ‘The Huguenot Fellowship’ in the box below the phrase: Or pick your own charitable organization, then click on the Search button. (‘The’ must be included, not just ‘Huguenot Fellowship’.) This will bring up a new page that shows The Huguenot Fellowship. Click on the yellow Select button next to ‘Glenside PA’. Thankfully, one only needs to perform this selection process once!
This is very important. Contributions are only made when shopping at smile.amazon.com, and not at amazon.com. So, please delete any links or shortcuts you may have to amazon.com and replace with smile.amazon.com. There’s no learning curve as both sites have the same look, features, and items for sale.
Your motivation for participating and Amazon’s motivation for contributing are likely as different as serving God versus serving mammon, of which, one cannot serve both. (Matthew 6:24) Let’s keep serving the Lord, and let Amazon answer for its own!