Category: Uncategorized

Today is the 14th of July, Bastille day. Each year, French people celebrate the revolution, and there are usually fireworks on the 13th. This year, like many people we had a dilemma: fireworks or football. We decided we’d watch part of the football and leave before the end to have a good spot to watch the fireworks in Guingamp.
Off we went to the town centre. We found a great spot and waited. I had my smartphone, so we decided to continue to watch the game on it. Then I realised that many people were doing this, gathering around smartphone screens as we were waiting.
One lady thought that football fans wouldn’t be at the fireworks. Obviously she was wrong. Thanks to technology, we were able to have the best of both. Except that I lost my connection at some point during the prolongations and we missed the German goal.

You’ve noticed my head is full of unanswered questions at the moment. This one builds up on the previous one. How do you reach out to the indigenous people of rural France, when you are an outsider, and they have been in the area for all their life , and their parents and children are I’m the area?
French people are not as mobile as you may think. That often remain in the same place, or not too far for all their lives.

So, the Front National has won the European elections in France with about 25%. It means that about a quarter of French people have supported that specific party. It could be even more, because approximately 50% of the population didn’t even bother to vote. So a big thanks to all those who couldn’t be bothered.
At least, the National Front didn’t come first in Guingamp nor in Pabu where we live. In Pabu, they come 5th, but that’s still 109 people who voted for their list.
But the question remains: when will we learn from history?

Whenever I think about France and the gospel in France, there are so many questions that come up to my mind.
Here is one to start with: why do we fail as churches to make a bigger impact on the lives of our members, but also on the wider community?

In a few weeks time, we will be electing our new town and village councils. Not surprisingly, we saw two of the three candidates for the town of Guingamp on the market last Friday. They didn’t come to us but it would have been nice to chat with them so that they get to know the church.

Did you know that there are still Samaritans around ? There’s almost 800 in teh Land of Israel. Most of them still live in the same region as in Biblical time, around Mount  Gerizim. For those who read French, there’s a fascinating article on modern day Samaritans on the Rue89 website.

Le samaritain Moshé a dû payer 30 000 dollars pour trouver une femme – Le nouvel Observateur.