Day of Prayer

Faculté Jean Calvin - Day of Prayer
June 12, 2021

“…apart from me, you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

« …sans moi, vous ne pouvez rien faire. »   Jean 15 :5

 It is in this spirit of dependence on the Lord - in our daily lives, in the work of Faculté Jean Calvin, in the seminary’s vocation of training men and women for service in Kingdom work - that the Seminary Board, Faculty and Staff are calling for a Day of Prayer on Saturday, June 12th, starting at 9AM, local France time.   

From 9-10 AM, Seminary Dean Yannick Imbert will share prayer needs of the seminary. Because of the time difference (with the Day of Prayer starting at 3 AM Eastern Time in North America) and recognizing that many friends of the Seminary will be unable to join at that time, we wanted to highlight two prayer needs:

1) After much consultation and prayer, the seminary professors have embarked on a project of reworking the seminary’s academic program in order to be more relevant to the everyday realities of local churches. This is in no way a case of changing theology, but rather listening to the needs of local churches and responding with the most effective training for future servants. 

• Would you pray for wisdom and clarity as the seminary team navigates this process, and that they would be led to the right people to collaborate in this significant undertaking? 

2) So many pastors in France are shepherding churches in several locations, due to the limited number of pastors.  Churches across France are needing a new wave of servants who are called to a pastoral ministry.

• Would you ask the Lord to raise up more workers for His Church, those individuals who will faithfully bring the message of Gospel Hope to those who have never heard the life-giving message of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? May the Lord raise up those who will respond to His call.

If you are able to join the time of prayer at 9 AM in France, the Zoom link is here.

For those who read French, here is a message from FJC Board Chairman and Professor Emeritus Pierre Berthoud regarding the Day of Prayer.

A Conversation with Linda Boice & Jean-Philippe Bru

Jean-Philippe Bru, Ruth Ann Leduc, Linda Boice

The Huguenot Fellowship recently launched the fundraising campaign for the support of the Willaim Edgar Chair of Apologetics at Faculté Jean Calvin seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France.  And yet, this endeavor is not new for the Huguenot Fellowship, as the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology was launched 19 years ago. 

The legacy of former Tenth Presbyterian Church (Phila.) Pastor and Huguenot Fellowship Trustee, Dr. James Boice, continues in so many ways. Faculté Jean Calvin is one means whereby his influence continues through the ministry of Professor Jean-Philippe Bru, occupant of the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology at the seminary.  Linda Boice and Jean-Philippe sit down with Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc to talk about Dr. Boice's introduction to France, the ministry of the seminary, and his enduring legacy through this endowed Chair.

Listen to this 26-minute interview to hear how God led through divinely appointed circumstances to bless His Kingdom work in France, and how that legacy continues today through the teaching of practical theology.

Distance-Learning

Dr. Yannick Imbert, William Edgar Chair of Apologetics Professor and Dean of Faculté Jean Calvin, talks with Huguenot Fellowship trustee Ruth Ann Leduc about the use of distance-learning at the seminary. Faculté Jean Calvin was the pioneer of distance-learning among theological institutions.

Click to view this 9-minute video.

Donald Cobb

Donald Cobb is Professor of New Testament and Greek at Faculté Jean Calvin. Huguenot Fellowship trustee Ruth Ann Leduc talks with him to learn how he came to the seminary and the challenges facing the Church in France.

Click to view this 6-minute video.

Kim Tran

Kim Tran is a graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin and currently serves as Managing Director of the seminary. Hear some of Kim's story and his role at the seminary in this interview with Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc.

Click to view this 9-minute video.

Proposed Law on Separatism

May the Church be found Faithful 

The proposed Law to Uphold Republican Principles crossed another threshold on April 12th as the French Senate voted to uphold the bill designed to stem radical Islam that has been at the root of numerous terrorist attacks in France.  Yet these deliberations also represent a changing dynamic for the evangelicals in France, as the proposed law will present new restrictions and oversight within the evangelical church.

As Clement Diedrichs, General Director of the National Council of Evangelicals in France (CNEF) says, “…the country’s leadership no longer has any desire to protect space for any faith.”

A joint committee of parliamentary deputies and senators will meet in May to further evaluate the bill before it is voted on by the National Assembly in July for final implementation.  

Throughout the months of deliberations, French Protestant leaders have been diligent in their discussions with the government in advocating for the religious freedoms that are so deeply engrained in French society with the separation of Church and State, while also calling the Protestant church to prayer and avoiding a mentality of victimization.  

Diedrichs says, “But since they are no longer in a Christian society, French evangelicals have to be witnesses to the gospel like the first Christians were in their non-Christian society.“

May the Church in France be a faithful witness to Gospel truth, and may the Lord give wisdom to evangelical leaders in discussions with the government.   

For further information, read this report in Christianity Today:

CT Article

Paul and Alison Wells

Take a few minutes to learn about God's faithfulness and blessing in the early days as Faculté Jean Calvin was getting started. Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc sits down with Paul and Alison Wells who were part of the very beginnings of the seminary in 1972.

Click to view this 11-minute video.

Carrefour Théologique 2021

We’re resending news of this April 12-17 event in order to include YouTube live-stream links to each presentation.

For those who comprehend spoken French, Faculté Jean Calvin’s upcoming conference Carrefour Théologique April 12-17 will focus on Generosity. See the program below featuring several professors from the Fac. (The times shown are for France. Subtract 6 hours for US Eastern Daylight Time, e.g., 19h30 is 13:30 or 1:30pm EDT.)

Please pray that this virtual conference will be a rich spiritual blessing for all who attend and participate!

Programme des conférences

Lundi 12 avril 2021 à 19h30

• La générosité et le message des prophètes

• Rodrigo De Sousa, professeur d’Hébreu et d’Ancien Testament à la FJC

• https://youtu.be/LrpN2tRMcHQ

Mardi 13 avril 2021à 19h30

• Jésus et l’argent

• Daniel Bergèse, pasteur, professeur associé à la FJC

• https://youtu.be/xfC58B8nd24

Mercredi 14 avril 2021à 19h30

• Devoir de charité et prêt à intérêt dans l’éthique économique de Calvin

• Michel Johner, professeur d’éthique et d’histoire à la FJC

• https://youtu.be/7I63V77Oeds

Jeudi 15 avril 2021 à 19h30

• Présentation du Traité de l’amour du prochain de Martin Bucer

• Jean-Philippe Bru, professeur de théologie pratique à la FJC

• https://youtu.be/Jf-b8XOnDdg

Vendredi 16 avril 2021 à 18h30

• Paul, les corinthiens et la générosité

• Pascal Denaut, pasteur https://www.unherautdansle.net/

• https://youtu.be/rU7JUTeStik

Vendredi 16 avril 2021 à 20h

• Une générosité sans discrimination ?

• Daniel Hillion,directeur des études au SEL www.selfrance.org

• https://youtu.be/keUBXesC0Jo

Samedi 17 avril 2021à 19h30

• La générosité doit-elle être sacrificielle ?

• Yannick Imbert, doyen, professeur d’apologétique à la FJC

• https://youtu.be/N-aFoT3lgwg