Paul D. Wolfe
June 2020
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)
On a recent Sunday morning I preached on that passage for our church here in Fairfax, Virginia. While standing in my living room. Alone. Seeing only one face looking back at me. Mine. On my computer screen. Because I was leading our worship service on my laptop via Facebook Live. The same way I have every Sunday since the Ides of March. Because, well, coronavirus. Such is church life here in the middle of 2020. These are the Days of Distancing.
It would be difficult to imagine a more apparent mismatch between message and reality. “You’re saying that Christ is building his church—but you’re saying it in an empty room because your congregation is scattered and has been for months! Shouldn’t you say that Christ will get back to building when your church has gotten back to its building?”
But good news: the mismatch is only apparent. Even during these strange, separated, scattered days, Christ is still building. Still bringing men and women to faith. Still building us up in that same faith. Still guiding and guarding and sustaining and strengthening churches all over the world.
And...still training up servants of the Word who will go out as his instruments. That’s where Faculté Jean Calvin (FJC) comes in.
To be sure, the spring semester at our beloved seminary in Aix-en-Provence was unlike anything they’d ever experienced. They found themselves relying upon technology in new ways, too. They, like us, have been learning the international language of Zoom. They found themselves having to come up with different approaches to teaching and learning and fellowship.
But guess what: they did! It happened. The teaching and learning and connecting all happened. COVID-19 was the mother of invention. Our brothers and sisters at FJC answered the providential call, and the work of the seminary went on.
Lord willing, next month they’ll hold a graduation ceremony. This, too, will have to be virtual. And it will take place slightly later on the calendar than they’d originally planned. But the Lord who’s building his church is a perfectly patient builder, whose timing and ways are always spot-on. And a new corps of FJC graduates will go forth as those forged for service—not only by what they got in the classroom, but also as a result of how the Lord challenged them in their final semester.
Join me in rejoicing, and praying for their fruitful labors!
Yours in Christ,
Paul D. Wolfe
President of The Huguenot Fellowship
P.S. As you might imagine, for FJC these are lean financial times. They’re trusting in the Lord to provide. If you’re able to make an additional gift this summer to participate in that provision, our mailing and online addresses are here on our website, waiting to be of assistance!