Buckler News

Well, Christmas 2009 is nearly upon us, and we are coming to the end of an eventful and formative (polite form for ‘difficult’) year. To sum up succinctly: Church life has been a challenge; family life also!

Here are some encouragements:

n      The ‘conseil’ (PCC) is stronger than ever... a great and supportive team

n      In September, Manu (Emmanuel) joined us to take responsibility (amongst other things) for the youth ministry and for the development of worship. He is a great asset and has been able to pick up naturally with the youth from where Ben and Rachel left off.

n      In September we welcomed a team from England (Oxford, Leeds and Cambridge) for a week of mission entitled ‘Partager la joie – partager la foi’  They were generous, joyful and resourceful and we are so thankful for all they achieved, not just by doing things but mainly by their inspirational presence… Have a look at the video clip posted below...

n      For the last 3 ½ months we have had a wonderful helper called Alice with us. She has got stuck in with the children’s work, the youth group, administrative tasks and the family. In a short time she has managed to befriend the old folk and the young people.  She has been a precious helper for Uta and she will be greatly missed as she leaves us just before Christmas.

n      For the last 3 ½ months we have had a wonderful helper called Alice with us. She has got stuck in with the children’s work, the youth group, administrative tasks and the family. In a short time she has managed to befriend the old folk and the young people.  She has been a precious helper for Uta and she will be greatly missed as she leaves us just before Christmas.

And some challenges for prayer...

n      Daring to share faith with others (whatever name you give to it) significant and ongoing challenge for the church here (as it is for Christian witness in general in this country) which inevitably limits vision for the mission of the church…

n      Since September, we have been keenly aware of the spiritual battle that is being fought here.  We struggled to get momentum going at the start of the new academic year. A number of major pastoral issues/crises have tested the church and us personally. Please pray with us that, as a church and as a family, we may break through this cloud and come out at the other end on “higher ground”.  

On a different note, in October Andy led another youth weekend at Pierrefonds, an annual regional event. A record number of 250 teenagers attended, creating problems in terms of space! For the first time, it not only touched reformed church circles, but also involved teenagers from Lutheran, Anglican and free evangelical churches. Andy and his team have become victims of their own success… The Lord definitely blessed this weekend. It’s a big encouragement and source of thankfulness.

 In November Andy spent 2 weeks in the Congo (Brazzaville) where he taught at the theological faculty on Calvin and the Reformation, and its relevance to us today. It was an extremely interesting and rich time for him (and the students I dare say). We are grateful that he was able to extend his stay to spend a few precious days with his brothers Tim and Mark (and Mark’s family), who are both teachers at a Christian school in Kenya.

This year’s Christmas play is called “Le Noël du Père Noël” – all about Father Christmas becoming a Christian! For details to fire your prayers about this and other events, do check out the church website (www.erfmantes.org). As a family, we are really looking forward to a much needed break just after Christmas.

As for family news, what can we say? We have about the same joys and struggles as most families with babies, young children and pre-adolescents.

Thomas started secondary school in September and is doing well. The change of school has had a very positive impact on him and he is (at last) making friends. It is a great relief for us to see him come out of himself.

Samuel is in his last year of primary school and we need to think about where he will go next. He has definitely entered pre-adolescence. Say no more.

Daniel is doing his best at school and has ups and downs. School will never be his favourite activity but he has the most amazing imagination. Give him rubber bands and cello tape and he will create all sorts of wonders for you…

Lois is growing up fast. She is still trying to find her place in the family. She has greatly benefited from Alice’s patience and joyful character. Favourite pastime: colouring and annoying her brothers.

Amélie (last but by no means least) is also growing up fast (there must be something in the water…) She’s a joyful character, chatty and funny. If you want to know what she looks like, dig out an old photo of Daniel... 

Last September we were joined by a team from Oxford, Leeds and Cambridge for a week of evangelism... Here's a clip with photos. A huge thank you to members of the team - you were a great encouragement!

Un clip pour remettre en mémoire cette belle semaine d'évangélisation appelée "partageons foi et joie!" - merci à l'équipe... c'était un vrai encouragement pour tous.

Un nouveau parcours Alpha va démarrer la semaine prochaine (22 sept) chez nous. C'est dans le contexte d'un lancement national qui a attiré pas mal d'attention de la part des médias, notamment grâce à une pub qui passe aux cinémas partout en France. Merci de prier pour cette initiative... Et pour nous, merci de prier qu'il nous envoie des participants...

Next week a new Alpha course begins. It's in the context of a national publicity campaign which has generated a fair bit of interest from the media, especially thanks to a cinema spot played throughout France. Do pray for this initiative (over 400 courses starting next week in France). And pray for us that God would send participants... Thank you!

Last week, a team from the UK (12 people) joined us in the parish for a week of witness & evangelism. The week began with informal meals in different people's homes followed by main meetings over the week-end. The aim of the week was 2-fold : to give vision to the church here as to what can be possible, and to engage during the week in more active evangelism than we are used to. It was very encouraging! We will see with time the long term fruit, but already here are a number of things that struck me:

- the really positive response to members of the team distributing invitations on the market - this was unexpected, especially since Mantes is a religiously and racially sensitive area, and during Ramadan too... And yet response was v +ve. 

- the importance of personal testimony in evangelism. This is obvious, but we need to create fresh ways in the church of releasing balanced and authentic testimony that creates a desire for others to meet the same Christ.

- our church has move forward so much spiritually in the last few years ; it's easy to take it for granted. Having an outside team with us for a week reminded me of the wonderful sense of community and welcome that God has created in the church here. 

- how good it is that not all the vision in the church is carried by Uta and me. This was pretty much the case early on, but we now have many people who are beginning to imagine great things and a church council which is seeking God's way forward for the church.

- there are unexpected opportunities for evangelism right on our doorstep if we are willing to seize them. Most of the time we are so used to what we see all the time we need someone else to come in an point out the obvious.

So... a great week. Tiring, but a positive beginning to a new academic year. Do pray that we can effectively build on it!

Quelques photos du baptême d'Amélie le dimanche 28 juin... l'occasion d'accueillir nos parents, des amis pour une fête joyeuse devant le Seigneur. 

Here are some photos of Amélie's baptism (Sunday 28 June). It was a special moment for us all.