Orleans, France

mission

Mission & Philosophy

The link between spiritual renewal and education has always characterized church history. The French Reformation began in the university towns of Orléans, Strasbourg, and Meaux. Much has happened since the glory days when the Huguenot faith spread across France.

The intriguing word, Huguenot, derives from the German, eidgenossen, meaning "confederated," because citizens of Geneva belonged to a Confederation against the Dukes of Savoy. By 1648, Huguenot was the name given to French Protestants, who owed so much to Geneva and Jean Calvin.

At their highest point the Huguenots numbered about two million, or 10% of the population, but their influence far exceeded their numbers. Yet by 1685 it became illegal to be a Huguenot in France. Thousands were martyred, forced underground, or fled abroad. Today the number is 700,000, only 1.5% of the population. France, like much of the West, has become secular. Relativism and religious confusion reign and churches are often without strong convictions. In such an atmosphere, renewal and reformation are needed.

Since 1974, the Reformed Seminary in Aix-en-Provence has been training men and women for Christian leadership. Its mission is to send pastors and other servants into various ministries in France and abroad, armed with the whole council of God.

The Huguenot Fellowship is dedicated to supporting French Protestant and Evangelical causes. Its principal goal is to sustain the Reformed Seminary in Aix. In recent years we have been building the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology, an endowed faculty position in memory of the beloved founding member, James Boice, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for thirty years, before his untimely death from cancer.

The Huguenot Fellowship is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania. We are happy to send copies of our annual federal form 990, as well as our annual audit, upon request.

Board of Trustees

William Edgar

President

Peter A. Lillback

Vice President

Laurence C. Sibley, Jr

Secretary

Barbara S. Edgar

Administrative Secretary

Rex H. Anderson, Jr

Treasurer

Deborah H. Barackman

Philip J. Barackman

Linda M. Boice

Robert M. Copeland

Ruth Ann Leduc
Christy S. Leonard

Nancy G. Powlison

Stephen K. Salisbury

Henry Lewis Smith

David L. Waterman

Board of Reference

Eugene Boyer

Samuel T. Logan

Leonard N. Stewart

In Memoriam

James M. Boice

Edmund P. Clowney