I Felt the Call

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My name is Marlies ten Voorde and I am 29 years old. I come from Woudenberg, a small village in the center of the Netherlands, near Utrecht. After studying medicine I began working in neurology in 2012. In 2015 I began the six-year program to become a specialist in neurology.

However my plans changed in 2016 when I felt the call to become a missionary. This was a completely unexpected turn of events, as I had thought I would be a neurologist all my life. After a few months of prayer and reflexion I decided to respond to this call. I applied to the mission board of my denomination to serve as a missionary in Guinea (Conakry). I stopped my studies in neurology and since June 2017 I have been getting ready to work in Guinea. I am in Aix for 3 months to work on my French, the language spoken in Guinea. I follow classes at the Faculté Jean Calvin and take part in church activities. Also I am living in the home of the family of the pastor Marc Toureille. It is a great opportunity to practice French (even theological vocabulary!) and get to know some French Christians.

I am due to return to the Netherlands on March 23 and leave for Guinea on April 10 for an indefinite period. For the first two years I will be learning the local language and culture. After that I will find out how I can spread the Word of God and maybe be able to work in health care.

Marlies ten Voorde

Do You Care About Souls?

Pastor Marc Toureille

Pastor Marc Toureille

I was born into a Christian family and through the example of my parents, my brother and sister I learned to know God. In 1986 I responded to God’s call during an evangelistic campaign. From then on I found myself in the place God had prepared for me, in the church. In 1992 my father died, a turning point in my life. At the time I was studying biology. For a few years I had been leading Bible studies for teenagers and I felt the call to study theology to deepen my knowledge of the Bible. I enrolled at the Faculté Jean Calvin when I was 19. During my three years’ study I kept active in the life of the church. The yearly internships taught me more about the practical life of various churches. As I studied I became convinced, in response to Isaiah 6:8, that I should undertake some kind of Christian ministry. But what, exactly? I was only 21 and didn’t feel ready to become a pastor; the Lord convinced me otherwise. I was asked: “Do you care about souls?”, a question that seems old-fashioned. But, then came the day when I said, “yes, I do”, and I understood that when the Lord calls someone he equips them with everything they need. I took for myself the Lord’s words: “My power is made perfect in YOUR weakness.” I then applied to become a pastor in the Union of Reformed Evangelical Churches. After a year’s internship I became pastor of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Alès in the south of France.

Over the last 20 years my wife Florence and I have served in three different churches: in Alès, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in the Paris area, and in Aix-en-Provence. We have learned so much! We have felt the love and support of Christian brothers and sisters of all age groups and many different geographic origins and from many social backgrounds. Through home visits and church gatherings we have learned what is meant by “fellowship”. We thank the Lord for all the “great cloud of witnesses” he has brought us into contact with.

Marc Toureille, Pastor of a local church of the Union des Églises Protestantes Réformées Évangéliques de France (UNEPREF) denomination, Aix-en-Provence

Hope, But On What Basis?

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Dear Friends,

        Nicolas Baverez is a lawyer, essayist, and journalist, justly renowned for his perceptive views of where France and Western Europe are going in the next few years. He has been called a pessimist, because he has written books such as France Is Falling, which looks at sobering trends in the country, such as cultural lag, loss of a competitive edge, and a generalized fear among its people. But he considers himself more of a hopeful realist than a pessimist.

        His latest book, due out next month, is titled, Violence and Passions: A Defense of Freedom in the Age of Universal History. His argument is that no one escapes the forces of history in our times. Contrary to many predictions since the fall of communism in 1989, there is little reason to be optimistic. Forces reign such as terror, revenge, xenophobia, all of which confirm what French poet Paul Valéry said long ago: “Civilizations are mortal.” And yet, Baverez still says there is hope, hope for liberty, if only we would look in the right places. Unfortunately, while he says good things, he stops at the most important. He argues we need to resist terror, to strengthen our institutions, and to “take responsibility.” Sure, but on what basis? He says we simply need “faith is freedom and the courage to defend it.” Sure, but where does it come from?

      Only the Gospel can ensure such things. Our hope is not in the fall of communism or the strength of institutions, but in the rise of resurrection power, inaugurated by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Seminary in Aix-en-Provence is training leaders for churches and missions that will proclaim this message loud and clear. Thanks so much for your support of this great cause.

Very Truly Yours,
William Edgar,
President 

Carrefour Théologique

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Please pray for the upcoming Theological Crossroads at the Faculté Jean Calvin, March 16-17. This conference will focus on The Kingdom of God in the Church and society. 

Jesus Christ began his ministry by announcing that the kingdom of God was drawing near. Since then, his followers pray for its full advent: "Thy kingdom come. " So, the reign (or kingdom) of God is at the heart of the Christian faith. But how is it to be understood? How was his coming prepared by God in the time of the Old Testament? How can one grasp the link between this kingdom and the Gospel that the Church must proclaim around her? How is the kingship of Christ in the present world different from the kingship of Caesar and other forms of temporal power? What hope is opened to us by the words "Thy kingdom come"?

These questions involve the very foundations of our Christian faith and action, and they occupy an increasingly important place in the Church today. The upcoming Carrefour Théologique at the Faculté Jean Calvin seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France will provide an opportunity to dig deeper into this subject of fundamental importance.

Link to the Carrefour brochure.

Adolphe Monod

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"Oh, cross of preaching the cross!" What a strange declaration from the man who was widely regarded as the foremost preacher in nineteenth-century France and Switzerland. Adolphe Monod was a man with a shepherd's heart who longed to be able to spend more time on the pastoral side of his ministry, yet he regarded preaching as a sacred obligation that required his very best effort and preparation. Perhaps this same shepherd's heart--a deep concern for the souls of his hearers--helped make his preaching so effective. It is certainly an important element in Les Adieux, which has endured for nearly 150 years as a classic of French evangelical literature. (Excerpt from the preface to the retitled English translation: Living in the Hope of Glory, Constance K. Walker, editor and translator.)

Pastor Monod died of liver cancer while only in his mid-fifties on April 6, 1856 in Paris. He ministered from a sickbed during the final six months of his earthly life. Les Adieux ("Farewells"), originally published in 1856, is a collection of his richly theological, yet practical brief messages to his friends and congregation during this period of intense suffering.

Going to France?

Jeanne d'Albret

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"When her alcoholic and adulterous husband died in 1555, Jeanne d’Albret (1528–72) became queen of Navarre. Sandwiched between the two powerful nations of France and Spain, Jeanne was in a vulnerable position. This did nothing to slow or discourage her. Having made public profession of the Reformed faith years before, Jeanne, on her accession, labored successfully to bring reform to Navarre, making the country a safe haven in a sea of Roman Catholicism. Her children were kidnapped, her life was threatened, rebellions erupted, war broke out with France—her love for the church was greater than all of these. She called herself “a little princess” and believed that, like Esther, God had put her in her position to defend His people. Her work provided shelter for Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion. But she was also an example of faith under fire: her courage and doctrinal resolve were discussed internationally and brought comfort to other suffering believers."

The above is an excerpt from The Women of the Reformation by Rebecca VanDoodewaard, which appeared in TABLETALK October 2017. Quoted with permission of Ligonier Ministries. (Click here for full article.)