Traditionally, a special gathering and worship service is held in France the first Sunday of September each year. It takes place on the grounds of the Protestant Resistance Museum in the Cevennes Mountains. This event is attended by around 15,000 Protestants from France as well as other European countries that welcomed French Protestants during the 16^th century Wars of Religion and persecutions. It is a very significant event. How disappointed we were this year to have the service led by a very liberal pastor whose message gave no indication of a need for reconciliation with God or hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ! He ran through the Apostles Creed as fast as he could – then apologetically explained that he read it only because it is part of “Church tradition”!! Our hearts ached. We share this so you would continue to pray for the work of the Spirit to revive the French church so that the message of truth and hope will be firmly and confidently announced in this country.

Although we did have an agreeable change of pace, our summer was not just leisurely. We stayed in the pastor’s residence in Ganges for part of the month of July, replacing the pastor who was on vacation and overseeing the work being done on the historic church building – which had not been repainted in over 50 years! We also had a wedding in our church in St Martin. One hundred people squeezed into our chapel for that occasion, with as many who couldn’t get in. This event gave us a lot of contacts with people from the village. The summer was capped with a visit from our daughter Stephanie and her husband Gabriel.

France is in the sports section of the news again for hosting the Rugby World Cup tournament during September and October. Do pray for those who are doing evangelization at the different tournament sites.

You can also be praying for the local evangelization committee that oversees our church-planting project. They are meeting this Saturday to plan for the remaining two years of the project.

Reservations are made and travel is on our schedule for this fall. Because of different responsibilities here in France, we are travelling separately to two different areas. After stopping in to check on our granddaughter ☺, Diane will be visiting supporting churches in Texas at the end of September and Maryland the beginning of October. Bill then leaves the middle of October for visits to churches in South Carolina and to see his mother in Georgia. He will attend the annual council of the Reformed Episcopal diocese of the Northeast in Maryland before returning to France early in November.

We also ask you to pray for all missionaries working in euro countries. Today the value of the dollar hit an historic low against the euro and, because of the contrasting fiscal policies in the two areas, there seems to be no perspective of having that change over the coming year.

Diane and Bill Jerdan