ANGLICAN CHURCH BORDEAUX – OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Future Services
Services will take place at 15.30 at the Chapel of Le Grand Bon Pasteur, 5bis, rue de l’Ecole Normale, Bordeaux Caudéran. There is something for the children every week!
6 October Family Communion Revd Richard Bromley & Harvest Service with the choir. please bring non-perishable goods to the Harvest Service. They will be delivered afterwards to the Foyer Fraternel Gouffrand, a Bordeaux Church supported charity.
13 October All Age Worship Christine Rychlewski
20 October Family Communion Chaplain, Revd Tony Lomas
27 October All Age Worship Revd Charlotte Sullivan & Gospel Service. Oh, Happy Day! Lease note the date of this very popular service.
The Revd Charlotte Sullivan writes:
What a glorious summer it’s been! What a glorious summer it’s been, driving around the countryside, I have been really appreciating the wonder of God’s creation as I watch the trees turn from green to golden. Like many of the churches in our Chaplaincy we are preparing for our Harvest Festival.
This year, in Bordeaux we are blessed to have a very special guest preaching at our service, Richard Bromley, Mission Director of the Intercontinental Church Society. As many of you know ICS is a Mission Society which has supported and partnered with the Chaplaincy for many years. And particularly supporting us in our mission in Bordeaux, as we seek to grow God’s Kingdom in this fast growing, vibrant, multicultural city. Richard will be with us for the weekend at the beginning of October and we are looking forward to sharing time with him and his wife Denise.
It has been quiet in the city over the summer, but we have had some lovely memorable events. You will see from Johnson’s articles that we have had two great birthday/Back to School parties plus a Sunday school outing to “Climb Up”. Unfortunately, I was taking a wedding so was not able to attend the outing to the indoor climbing centre, probably for the best as I’m terrified of heights! Everyone had such a great time and my heartfelt thanks go out to all who were involved in planning and hosting these events, especially Johnson, Bebe, Christine and Pamela.
The coming month is a busy one for us as we prepare for Richard’s visit and our hugely popular Gospel Service.
Finally we would all really appreciate your prayers, as we continue to search for a permanent home for God’s church in Bordeaux.
Youth Group and Sunday School bonding prior to the new school year. A group of young people and their leaders went to ‘Climb Up’ in Mérignac. What joy we saw in the children’s eyes as they challenged themselves to scale different walls. Most were athletic and some were even like Spider-Man! Those times shared together could never be “bought” with money, especially the smiles on the children’s faces. Some Brethren also joined in the event. It will not be our last challenge and we hope to do this more often, hopefully by sharing this joy with more in future, for example, by bringing – a-friend.
Thank you, Steve! An All Age Service was led in September by Steve Long from Bertric Burée. That day also marked services volunteered by the youth, including reading as well
as taking the collection. What joy to see so many hands raised while singing the action song ‘Father Abraham’. We all were reminded about trusting God, based on the reading where God told Abram to leave his country, people and family (Gen 12:1). We know and continue to pray God will show us our new church building to grow his kingdom here in Bordeaux.
Back-to-school party and Happy Birthday, Jerome. Our back-to-school party was a fellowship event organized by Christine following an All Age Service. She also planned this as a surprise birthday celebration for her son Jerome. We all had an enjoyable time fellowshipping (one wonders if there’s such a word – there certainly should be!). We could also see the joy in Jerome’s eyes when we sang ‘Happy Birthday’.
Many Birthdays in September. We celebrated Reza’s birthday the week after Jerome’s. Reza is far from home and his immediate family, but with his brothers and sisters in Christ here in Bordeaux he is far from alone! We continue to pray his faith will grow deeper as he chooses to walk with Christ. We pray that God will provide, in His perfect time, a clear path for him to be able to find refuge as well as work soon. We pray for his family back in Iran to remain safe.
Touching news from our charity, La Maison de Marie. As was announced in church, a very generous retiring collection of 800€ in memory of our dear Rhian was sent in August to La Maison de Marie in centre-city Bordeaux, where people in need are housed and helped to get back on their feet. Rhian and Xavier Foreau were part of that helpful network and here is what one of the administrators wrote:
Thank you for the touching generosity thanks to which La Maison de Marie can continue its mission. I had a little wink from Rhian 2 or 3 days before the donation arrived. We received a letter from the Prefecture concerning the regularisation of an Armenian family. It’s a pure marvel! Rhan must be very happy: she and Xavier gave so much support to the family so that they could resist
despair. Rhian brought them so much joy: she who is now in eternal joy sends us part of
her happiness. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all.
Sunday School – Bordeaux takes its safeguarding seriously ! Vigilant we must be … and vigilant we are !