Newsletter

La Lumière: January 2020

BIG PERSPECTIVE

Cru is a good sized organization, with projects in 173 nations around the world. That requires a lot of guiding and managing, especially in the digital realm. The Global Digital Council's job is to fly at thirty thousand feet and keep the big perspective on Cru's digital strategy and digital assets, like web sites, apps, social media accounts, as well as online services. May has been a part of this team for a year, attending meetings via video calls. But in December everyone traveled to Orlando to sit around the table and discuss technology and ministry.

May has also added a new responsibility to her plate, or should we say platter. Agapé France has accepted to share May's time so she can work on an ambitious project - developing new giving sites for additional countries based off the giving system implemented in France. She is now the technical lead working with a small team of people so the system can be standardized and duplicated with ease for any country and language. By March they should have sites for Panama and the United Kingdom open. It will be a good test, three countries and three languages. May is excited to take on this new responsibility, in part because she is so well suited; she knows the French give site forward and backward and is an astute project manager. Her work is invaluable to France, but it's exciting to soar and see the big perspective, even contributing to the needs of other countries. We truly appreciate you partnering with us in this work!

May with the Global Digital Council in Orlando.

A little doodle of Dan's thoughts on prayer (2 Thess. 1:11).

Christmas in Rennes — Please pray

for May's work on the improvements to the give site solution.

that the sound insulation booth can be delivered on time.

that the root of the transportation strikes in France will soon be resolved.

for wisdom responding to emails and creativity in making a bumper video for the national staff conference.

DEUX

WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR

We really appreciate your prayers for the stressful and difficult situation we have with our upstairs neighbors. From the first note played in the apartment they have gone to great lengths to express their disapproval of the boys practicing their instruments, even during the day. God is working on my heart to forgive them, so I won't go into details. This puts us in a tough position. We have ordered up an insulated sound booth that the boys can use to practice at home. Roughly 7.5 by 6 feet, with two doors and two walls with sound insulation in between, it should be an effective solution to the problem. May and I are hoping that we can still hear some of the music. They've been forced to find other places to practice (hallways and bathrooms of the Conservatory, a local church, an office space on Sunday) but we really miss hearing them play. The sound booth should be delivered at the end this month. In the mean time, Efrem played in an international flute competition held nearby, where he tied for second place for his level. He played very well, and we're proud of him. Silas had a violin recital and two choral concerts that we really enjoyed. Music remains an important part of our lives!

La Lumière: November 2019

FACETS OF CRU IN PARIS

The makeup of Cru's ministry in Paris is widely diverse. Let's take a closer look at some of these expressions of God's love. First, Agapé Art is passionate about showing the beauty of the gospel of Christ through artwork. These are painters, photographers, and sculptors who strive to reflect God the creator and challenge people to believe. They work together, share ideas and use expositions for outreach. There is also Crescendo, a network of professional musicians, both classical and jazz, who explore creative ways to express their faith through music. They have concerts and "Play and Pray" events where music resonates with prayer. Crescendo is related to the summer institute in Hungary that Silas and Efrem have participated in three times. They are excited to get to know Crescendo locally. Now we come to the 700,000 students in Paris, where the campus ministry takes on a few different forms. A team of American interns is active on a half dozen campuses. A second team is reaching out specifically to Chinese speaking students. And yet another team, which is newly forming, is aiming more broadly at international students. Did you know that 20% of students in Paris are international? Let's pray that their steps of faith will bear fruit. There are other exciting things happening in Paris, but this is to give you a feel for the landscape. In spite of the tall, intimidating buildings and overwhelming scope, God is working here! Thank you for joining with Him and partnering with us to shine the light of the gospel in the "City of lights."

American church. — Please pray

that we continue to adjust to life in a new city, make new friends and become involved in church.

for our upstairs neighbors who continue to cause undue stress. We're looking for solutions to dampen the sound of our music.

that Silas and Efrem can practice in unhindered freedom.

for Christ to be our anchor and peace.

Graduation ceremony. — Silas (red cap on the right) at his graduation ceremony in October.

Playing for classmates. — Silas had one last chance to play for his classmates (and the dinosaur on the right)..

DEUX

FINDING A CHURCH

There are at least 74 evangelical churches in Paris. We visited five. It would take a year and a half to see them all, but the churches we visited were a good experience. There was a traditional Baptist church dating back over a hundred years. Then Hillsong, representing a completely different style on the spectrum, where the music and enthusiasm are turned up to eleven. Both churches were refreshing in their own ways. We also had the somewhat surreal experience of the American church in Paris, where the service is entirely in English. Their sanctuary is built in the 15th century Gothic style with high vaulted ceilings and colorful stained glass windows. As often happens, we ended up choosing the first one we visited, l'Eglise Saint Lazare. A short walk from our apartment, the Sunday morning service is held in a movie theater. It's a young church, only a few years old. There are former Agapé students who are invested in the church, an encouraging testimony to the impact the ministry is having on young lives. We look forward to seeing how we can be involved.

Please pray

Please pray

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