Friend, I want you...

Paul D. Wolfe

August, 2021

I know you can picture that poster.

That famous Uncle Sam poster.

We’ve all seen it. More to the point—and it is pointed—he’s seen you.

He’s looking right at you with a stern gaze, and pointing right at you with an outstretched index finger, and he’s saying, “I want you for the U.S. Army.”

With that gaze and that finger, who can refuse him?!

Here at the Huguenot Fellowship we don’t exactly have an Uncle Sam equivalent. But I do have several nieces and nephews myself, which makes me Uncle Paul, and I do have some grey hair and some grey whiskers now , so I’m happy to play the role.

Friend, I want you...

...to consider the part you might play in encouraging your local congregation to contribute to the Huguenot Fellowship, and thus join us in supporting Faculté Jean Calvin (FJC) in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Here at the end of August, church budget season is just around the corner. It won’t be long before local congregations are fashioning their budgets for 2022, including the mission works they’ll support.

The Huguenot Fellowship receives around 40% of our giving from churches. Is yours one of them? If not, maybe it can become one. And maybe you can let folks in your church know about FJC to help make it happen.

Perhaps your church has a missions committee, and there’s a point-of-contact who would be interested in learning about FJC. Or perhaps the pastor is that point-of-contact by virtue of his role as one of the leaders of the church. You know best. You’re there. You’re on location. And that’s exactly why we’d like to encourage you to consider letting others know in your church community.

And we stand at the ready to furnish you with any information and materials that would be helpful to you if you want to promote the cause. (Our website— http://www.huguenotfellowship.org/—is always a very good place to start.)

And no question, it is a worthy cause! For over 45 years, the evangelical protestant seminary that is FJC has been providing solid, scriptural instruction across the full spectrum of biblical and theological disciplines, equipping its students to serve the church and make Christ known. There are very few evangelical seminaries in France today, and FJC shines among them.

Interested in serving as an ambassador for FJC in your church? Email us at hello@huguenotfellowship.org and we’ll make sure you’re equipped!

Warmly,
Uncle Paul

Paul D. Wolfe
President, The Huguenot Fellowship
Pastor, New Hope Presbyterian Church, Fairfax, VA paul@huguenotfellowship.org

What Are You Here For?

Aquarium Choir

“What are you here for?”

May the Lord’s name be praised and His Kingdom come!

Across the ages, music has played an integral role in the life and growth of the Church of Jesus Christ.  It’s not surprising that a summer musical festival in the beauty of the Cévennes mountains in southern France would draw a crowd, especially with the diversity of musical presentations – children’s choir, Christian rapper, cellist with vocals…… listen.

The Festival – “Aqua tu Sers?” (What are you here for?)  from July 23rd - 25th, was the culmination of two weeks of the Aquarium Choir camp for 70 children, coming primarily from across the south of France.  This quintessential question was addressed during the weekend festival through various workshops, devotionals, the Aquarium concert, and two other concerts featuring Christian musicians from across Europe.  

 The Aquarium choir was birthed from the vision of Pastor Marc Toureille, a graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin, in 2000.   http://choraleaquarium1.e-monsite.com/     

Why the choice of “Aquarium” as the name for the children’s choir?  The image of fish in water stems from the Greek word, ICHTUS, a term used by 1st century persecuted Christians as a way of recognizing each other.  The words came to signify a Declaration of Faith with the acrostic – Jesus-Christ, Son of God, Savior.   The desire of those working with the choir is that these children, these “little fish” in the “Aquarium of Music” would, in turn, make this same declaration the cry of their heart. 

Since 2014, the ministry of the Aquarium choir has expanded to include a two-week camp in the Cévennes mountains, under the leadership of Pastor Pascal Gonzalez, also a graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin.  The impact of the choir has expanded with the production of eight CDs, and concerts in churches across the South of France, as well as in the Netherlands and Switzerland. The choir is open to any children between the ages of 4 and 16 who want to worship their Creator through song by taking a plunge into the Aquarium!

Prayer room at the Christian Conference Center in the Cévennes mountains

Give Out Of Abundance

Although The Huguenot Fellowship is not equiped to accept Bitcoin donations :-), we are pleased to remind you that donations in the form of stock are most welcome. Simply access the stock-gifting form by clicking here, print and complete the form, then send it to us and give a copy to your broker.

Equity markets are at close to all time highs. Please consider making a gift of stock before the next big correction! Your faithful generous support is greatly needed in helping Faculté Jean Calvin train pastors, missionaries, and lay-workers to serve the Lord in the French-speaking world. Thank you!

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ~ 2 Cor. 9:7

Continuing to Serve in Retirement

Faculté Jean Calvin Professors – Continuing to Serve in Retirement

Dr. Paul Wells, along with his wife Alison, served at Faculté Jean Calvin for 40 years.  The Wells share their story of how God led them to help with the very beginnings of the seminary in the Huguenot Fellowship blog post of April 16, 2021.   Paul currently holds the position of Honorary Professor of Systematic Theology, and has a new book coming out in French, “La Grace (étonnante) de Dieu” (Volume 1) – Une Théologie Biblique et Systématique de l’Alliance (The Surprising Grace of God – A Biblical and Systematic Theology of the Covenant).   The book will be published in mid-August 2021, and pre-publication orders can be made by visiting the Excelsis-Farel website - https://www.xl6.com/.

As Dr. Wells was considering the possibilities of such a project, he was aware that it was also a daunting task.   He writes: “Yet as I prayed about how to go about things, it seemed to me that I should not altogether ditch the knowledge I had acquired over so many years’ teaching & writing, but rather build on it to write something for believers today.

Since retiring from the Faculté Jean Calvin in 2012, I have become increasingly aware that we are deep in the unprecedented turmoil of a social and cultural revolution. The old modernist liberalism with its thought patterns is being beaten down and replaced by a new post-Christian worldview dominated by the dictates of "intersectionality".

Today the Christian faith is despised, believers are a minority, civil laws are rapidly being changed and relativism is taking hold everywhere. The old systematic theologies were written for a society in which Christianity and rationalism were more dominant, and it seemed crucial to write in a way that would take into account the new state of affairs. No doubt my work does not go far enough as attitudes continue to change, but I hope others after me will carry on the task.”

There are 56 chapters in all, each about 7-9 thousand words, with indexes. 

Volume 1 (26 chapters) consists of two parts:  1. The Specificity of the Christian Faith and 2. God: the world constructed and deconstructed.   

Volume 2 (30 chapters) also includes two parts: 3. The Mediator and the Refounding of the world and 4. The new community in Christ. 

The pre-publication offer of 26 euros is available until the end of August.   See linked document for the publisher’s announcement in French.   

The Local Church: “This is My Family”

On June 20th, the 54 congregations of the Protestant Reformed Evangelical Church across France celebrated a common theme in their church services – “This is My Family”, using a song by this title written by Pastor Pascal Gonzalez, a 1998 graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin.

 Pascal has been pastor in the denomination for 23 years, and being gifted in music and evangelism, he and his wife, Evodie, lead a children’s choir, Aquarium, and are currently organizing a music festival – “Aqua tu Sers” – for July.  

The song gives a beautiful presentation of the reality of life in the Body of Christ, with all its wrinkles, joys and challenges, and always living under the Grace of God.   We are broken clay vessels, but our Covenant-keeping God uses us to carry the message of Gospel Hope to a hurting world.   Listen to the song here.    

Translation:   

This is my Family, This is my Family…..

We exhibit patience; we respect science.

We desire Truth, but not without Love.

In the two Testaments, it’s always the same God.

And always highlighting the difference between the sin and the sinner.

This is my Family, This is my Family….

Of course, sometimes we argue; we get on each other’s nerves in our discussions.

We’re not a perfect Church; we can be defeatist sometimes.

However, whatever happens, these bonds hold me fast.

They tell me: “Don’t be afraid”; you’ll always have your place here.

This is my Family, This is my Family….

Sometimes I get discouraged, I feel the storm coming;

I feel like going elsewhere, being with other brothers and sisters.

I come across other worlds, sometimes more joyful or more somber.

But I come back, and I realize again: in our Family, grace abounds!

In order to not preach in vain, keep reading John Calvin!

To stay vigilant, we need to keep re-inventing ourselves.

To keep growing, Love needs to spread like a virus.

To keep our youth dancing, we remember the Covenant.

This is my Family, this is my Family……

We have the same Father, the same Core Values,    

We are governed by a synod, with a Presbyterian structure;

We enjoy the classic hymns; we sit on benches that are sometimes quite old,

We love the Huguenot cross, our singing is not always on key;

We are reformed, but not “deformed”,

We may be a bit atypical, but we’re evangelical;

We love the Cevennes Mountains, which run through our veins,

Yes, sometimes, we get on each other’s nerves, but we live under grace!

This is my Family, this is my Family……

Graduation at Faculté Jean Calvin - 2021

This is why we do what we do at the Huguenot Fellowship. Both on-site and distance-learning students received their diplomas on June 18th.  

The mission of John Calvin Seminary is to serve the Church by preparing its leaders with an excellent practical, spiritual and theological training, grounded in Scripture, rooted in the Calvinist tradition and in step with contemporary realities. 

Pray for these new graduates, the faculty and staff, and the Lord's ongoing work at John Calvin Seminary.

Update on the Separatist Law

The proposed separatist law, also referred to as the “Law to Reinforce Republican Values”, continues to move through the legislative system in France.  The proposed law is designed to stem radical Islam that has been at the root of numerous terrorist attacks in France, and, if enacted, would place restrictions on the freedom of worship in France.  The CNEF (Conseil National des Evangéliques de France) estimates that, if approved, any application of the law would not take place until Spring 2022, given the time to create statutes and methods to enforce the law. 

Impact France summarizes the current status of the deliberations:

Discussions have concluded and the bill is entering the final stages of the National Assembly vote which is projected to be at the end of June. The version of the law that is currently in the Assembly is NOT the version the Senate passed but the Assembly’s original bill that they approved. This final version of the bill will be sent to the Senate where the same process will take place (discussions, debates, vote).  To learn more about the evolution of the process click here (in French).

The CNEF is still working with different parliamentarians and advocating for the rights of the Church. Even if the “spirit of the law” doesn’t change, the CNEF is hopeful that the amendments and concrete measures to apply the law will not move France into a surveillance state when it comes to faith. The passage of the law is also dependent on the Constitutional Counsel – which can be another safeguard.

Click for news source and further information from ImpactFrance.org.

May the Church in France be faithful to Her witness, and may the Lord give wisdom to church leaders of the CNEF, in particular, as they engage with government leaders regarding the potential impact of this law.  

Day of Prayer

Faculté Jean Calvin - Day of Prayer
June 12, 2021

“…apart from me, you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

« …sans moi, vous ne pouvez rien faire. »   Jean 15 :5

 It is in this spirit of dependence on the Lord - in our daily lives, in the work of Faculté Jean Calvin, in the seminary’s vocation of training men and women for service in Kingdom work - that the Seminary Board, Faculty and Staff are calling for a Day of Prayer on Saturday, June 12th, starting at 9AM, local France time.   

From 9-10 AM, Seminary Dean Yannick Imbert will share prayer needs of the seminary. Because of the time difference (with the Day of Prayer starting at 3 AM Eastern Time in North America) and recognizing that many friends of the Seminary will be unable to join at that time, we wanted to highlight two prayer needs:

1) After much consultation and prayer, the seminary professors have embarked on a project of reworking the seminary’s academic program in order to be more relevant to the everyday realities of local churches. This is in no way a case of changing theology, but rather listening to the needs of local churches and responding with the most effective training for future servants. 

• Would you pray for wisdom and clarity as the seminary team navigates this process, and that they would be led to the right people to collaborate in this significant undertaking? 

2) So many pastors in France are shepherding churches in several locations, due to the limited number of pastors.  Churches across France are needing a new wave of servants who are called to a pastoral ministry.

• Would you ask the Lord to raise up more workers for His Church, those individuals who will faithfully bring the message of Gospel Hope to those who have never heard the life-giving message of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? May the Lord raise up those who will respond to His call.

If you are able to join the time of prayer at 9 AM in France, the Zoom link is here.

For those who read French, here is a message from FJC Board Chairman and Professor Emeritus Pierre Berthoud regarding the Day of Prayer.