Impacting the City | Building a Bridge of Friendship

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)

Every church is a part of the local community. Assemblée Chrétienne Mulhouse (ACM) is committed to reaching out to the city of Mulhouse and the surrounding areas to spread the gospel and support the community. Through initiatives coming directly from the church as well as partnering with other churches in the city, ACM has a goal of reaching out beyond the church walls and touching the surrounding area. We are excited to be a part of the vision the church has for reaching out and impacting the city of Mulhouse and the region of Alsace.

ACM has a vision of becoming deeply involved and ingrained with the local community surrounding the church building. They are currently looking for a location and hope to find a home soon. Once ACM has found a location, and the church is able to settle in, the leadership wants to open the doors to the community and reach out in ways that are unheard of in French society.

ACM Ministry Initiatives

English speaking small group

One of the outreach opportunities that ACM has specifically asked us to do is to start an English-speaking small group. While it might seem odd to go to France to start an English speaking group, Mulhouse is very close to Basel, Switzerland, where there are many large chemical companies. As a result, there are a lot of English-speaking foreigners who come to the region and almost no options for English-speaking ministries to which they can connect. By starting an English small group, we would be able to reach a significant ministry need in that region.

Immigrant outreach

Mulhouse is about 30% Muslim, and many of those people are refugees. Many French people are anti-immigrant and anti-Islam, and as a result, there is a great need for reaching out to these refugees to help them become integrated and connected in society. This is an area in which Kristy especially is deeply interested in serving and helping. ACM wants to serve these refugees as they try to adapt and settle into the region and show them the love of Christ.

Alpha course

In Ohio, we have helped out with the Alpha course in our church. This is something we would like to continue working on in France. The Alpha course is a time for people who are curious about Christianity to come and ask their questions in a safe, non-judgmental forum. Each week everyone watches a video about a fundamental aspect of Christianity and then takes time to discuss the topic. It’s a really cool time when people who are questioning, curious, atheists, or any other situation can come and explore faith and Christianity with no strings attached. It opens up an opportunity for God to work in their lives, and we've seen amazing things happen.

Dreaming up new ideas

One of the most exciting opportunities for us is the fact that we will be helping the leadership of ACM dream up and launch new ministries. The leadership wants to be a church which reaches outside the church walls to impact the region and nation, and this means trying new ministries and seeing what works. We are experimenters, and we looking forward to the adventure of following God’s guidance to impact lives for Christ!

Reaching Other Churches

Conseil National des Evangéliques de France (CNEF)

Didier, the pastor of ACM, is the Mulhouse president for le Conseil National des Evangéliques de France (CNEF), the French national Evangelical Christian organization. Part of his vision for ACM is that the church would be a connection between the other churches in the city to bring them all together in fellowship and partnership. His goal is for the larger body of Christ to come together, supporting one another, and we will be part of this work.

Spiritual formations practices

Kristy has a heart for spiritual formations, and one way she will be able to work with other churches to support them not only in Mulhouse but also in other parts of the country is to work with them to bring spiritual formations practices into their routines. Practicing the different ways in which we can draw closer to God on a regular basis will help strengthen and encourage believers as they continue to work to spread the gospel in such a difficult place.

Media and communications

Rob is looking forward to working with churches to improve their media and communications. Most of these churches are very under equipped and simple improvements like learning how to make more effective sermon slides or setting up a church website can make a huge difference for these ministries. We have talked with some leaders in ACM about leading small seminars to help pastors understand better communications and media skills.

 

 

Explore more of our vision or learn about the challenge of ministry in France.

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