CEM Summer

We put the children on the train to Marseille last Saturday for the weeklong Summer Christians on Mission program. There will be 20 youth, or young-in-Spirit, who will spend 9 days studying the Bible, visiting the older folks, spending time with children in the neighborhood and singing in a chorus. It’s a week full of study and service.

The Church there is called Fuveau Chapel. Fuveau is the name of the street that crosses just in front of their place. It used to be a mechanic’s shop, but the church-planting team was able to put up a façade, paint the interior white… It looks just like a country church you might run across in some village in Southern France.

The Marseille church is building community in a difficult neighborhood. That’s essential to renewal. There are many poor there and a large number of North Africans. This tends to cause racial tension. But the Fuveau Chapel reaches out to all French people, no matter their backgrounds. Many people just walk in on Sundays, thinking it’s a Catholic church. Several Algerians have started attending. All are warmly welcomed. All can hear the Gospel that destroys barriers and unites all people in Christ

Camp training

A certified camp counselor now authors this blog. A highlight of my life was finishing the BAFA training!!! (Check earlier post.) My colleague from Marseille and I received the last 5 days of (communist) training. For just being a hoop we’ve got to jump through, it actually went O.K. There were 35 learners and 3 trainers. I was actually the eldest learner, followed by a nose by my buddy… two other ladies in their late 30’s, and 31 youth between 17 and 24.

This was the opportunity of a lifetime for the trainers to form youth who’ll be spending unending hours forming youth in after-school care centers and camps. So most of the time was spent talking about… no lie… sex. Don’t know about your side of the Atlantic, but it’s the hot topic when you “learn camp”.

I really thought training was going to be about camping and hiking. No way. Condoms in the camp songs. Condoms used in the games. Condoms at the dinner table. Condoms on the grocery list.

I’ll never have to go back to that training again. Never. But my kids go through it daily. Thank God… He’s teaching them what real life’s about.