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France

JESUS Film Ministry Report

The France JESUS Film Ministry Report

2010 Ministry Statistics 319 showings of JESUS lm tools 26,288 heard the gospel via the Internet 3,983 JESUS lm tools DVDs and audiocasse es distributed 4,645 indicated decisions for Christ through JESUS
lm tools and Internet presentations

18 partnering organizations using JESUS lm tools

Glimpses of Gods Work


As part of The International Womens Day celebration, the ministry held a public showing of Magdalena: Released From Shame on March , , where people a ended

The Agap Ministry Center in Rennes provided a needed venue for Agap France and churches to carry out various functions as a place for fellowship, prayer and mobilization

i teen women a ended the rst Christmas rea fast follow-up meeting, involving them in a four-part series ible study based on the Gospel of John The series sought to help assure them of Gods love and the relevance of His message in their lives

The ministry website www Atoi voir com continued to a ract visitors and help them now the gospel and become more ac uainted with God s Word

During the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, the ministryalong with Christian organizationsdistributed evangelistic materials, including JESUS DVDs and copies of a boo let that describes the legacy of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr

Agap France oered trainings, event coordination and tools li e the JESUS lm and Magdalena: Released From Shame to churches throughout the country

No Longer a Graveyard for Missionaries


There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be lled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus. (Blaise Pascal, French philosopher and physicist)

has come to see the Lord change the spiritual climate in France, declared Francis Didier, the national director of Agap France . Along with fellow sta
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seeking fulllment in the Heavenly Father. He can pave the way for missions to thrive among these precious people. Our Lord is alive and at work, beamed Marie Carmen Didier. Her husband Francis agrees. To od be the glory! he exclaimed. They have witnessed great things as the body of Christ unites to proclaim His Word. I am inspired by the way the Lord has used Agap France to help build unprecedented unity and cooperation among churches in France. In an accelerated way, believers in Christ are starting to see that by working together they can help bring about change in the spiritual climate that once made France a graveyard for missionaries. Today that graveyard is becoming a harvest eld! This 2010 ministry report gives glimpses to the Holy Spirits work as He breathes life into the souls and spirits of the men, women and young people of France. It provides glimpses of His servants endeavors to help stir in them a renewed desire to trust the One who calls Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life.

members and Christian workers, Francis serves in a country sometimes referred to as a graveyard for missionaries. It possesses a rich Christian heritage, but many of its people have yet to respond to the Saviors call for a personal relationship with Himself. Once the seat of papacy, France today serves as a breeding ground for humanism and occultism. Of the nations more than 65 million people, four out of ve are identied with the Catholic Church. Yet there exists li le perceived need and relevance of od in their lives. Also one out of 10 Frenchmen call Allah their god, and the number of adherents to this belief system continues to increase. The worldviews the Frenchmen cling towhich exclude biblical truthssuch as secularization and materialism, ultimately fail to ll the gaping hole in their hearts. Blessedly, the emptiness these carve in peoples souls creates a pathway toward
Campus Crusade for Christ is known in France as Agap France.

Many ancient cathedrals that exist in France today are used more as tourist sites than places of worship.

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expressed how new this message was for them, Marie Carmen shared. They particularly appreciated hearing Francis share about his journey of how the Savior changed his life. We are thankful to the Lord for what took place in the participants as well as the organizers hearts, Marie Carmen remarked. She mentioned another viewer who explained it had been some time that she sensed a need to know more about God. A woman cried after hearing what she called as a message of love, hope and dignity that Jesus oers each person.

Coordinator of womens ministries for Agap France, Marie Carmen was referring to a young woman who watched a special showing of Magdalena: Released From Shame. As part of The International Womens Day celebration, the ministry held a public showing of Magdalena on March 8, 2010, in the French city of Rennes. More than 100 people graced this occasion. A young couple who were searching [spiritually]

he wanted to rediscover the person of Christ, Marie Carmen stated.

Knowing the Savior Who Can Fulll Their Longings

responses embodied Gods answers to prayers during the preparations of this special event. The event organizers, comprising Agap France sta members and church representatives, interceded for all audience members to realize their need for
Organizers of the March 8th event axed a poster to the back of a vehicle to advertise the Magdalena showing.

he guests

Praise God for touching the hearts of those who watched Magdalena. May the Holy Spirit continue to stir a deeper spiritual hunger within them and cause them to know God s ord May its truths capture their minds until it becomes dicult to resist the power of Christs love Pray all those who responded to the gospel

the Savior and acknowledge He alone can fulll their deepest desires. They rejoiced over meaningful conversations with viewers about the message of Magdalena after the screening.

are ushered into local churches and Bible study groups Pray they become followers of the Redeemer Pray many churches will employ the JESUS lm and Magdalena as part of their evangelistic and discipleship outreaches

Reaching Rennes and Beyond

Meister, prayed for a room full of people, men and women, families for the sake of the kingdom and the gospel in Rennes. Indeed, God is paving the way for the building of His kingdom in Rennes and for His gospel to ourish among its residents. In the past couple of years, the vision to see Gods work in this city to become an integrated ministry model for the body of Christ in France has burned in the hearts of Francis and Marie Carmen. Today that vision has materialized into what the ministry describes as a strategy to mobilize believers, train and send them to reach friends, families, colleagues and neighbors. Francis remarked: We are seeing that vision of a model ministry become a reality as we are working in Rennes with young people, professionals, and churches in what is becoming a growing spiritual movement. We are seeing synergy as our dierent ministry strategies Pray God grants success to the ministry in Rennes, and it becomes a model strategy for the body of Christ. Pray local churches and Christian organizations will appreciate its eectiveness and use aspects relevant to their evangelistic and discipleship programs. Pray unity among churches continues to ourish. What makes Rennes strategic to serve as a ministry model? Home to half a million people, it is Frances fastest growing city. Francis stated that as the regional capital of the region of ri any, it is ranked nationally as the most a ractive city due to its advanced use of technology, its heavy investment in arts and culture. It is a hub for education, manufacturing, information technology and computer engineering.

or that special Magdalena showing, sta member of The JESUS Film Project , Marf

begin to work together, along with local churches, to fully impact the city.

Where Vision Begins and Materializes

26, 2010, the ministry held the ocial dedication of the Agap Ministry Center. Through your partnership with the ministry, God provided this greatly needed headquarters in Rennes. It began operations in Spring 2009.
Believers from the Rennes community gathered together during the dedication of the Agap Ministry Center.

n September

Our vision and expectation for this new facility is to be a ministry tool between God s hands and servants for announcing the gospel and for accompanying the believers in their growth towards Christian maturity. It will be a gathering point for the growing body of Christ in Rennesa

place for them to gather for outreach, for training and for involvement in reaching their city. It will be a place to inspire believers to trust God for the spiritual awakening of their city, Francis explained. The dedication brought together church leaders and friends of Agap France. A joyous Francis shared the highlight of the event involved time spent praying together and in small groups in the dierent parts of the building to commit the center to God to serve His cause, to share the gospel and help build up the Christians living in the western parts of France.

The ministry later held an open house to neighboring businesses and civil authorities. Yes, it was indeed a good way of ge ing to know each other, of introducing ourselves and explaining what our work is all about, Francis remarked. He prays the Lord will grant opportunities to express our faith in a sensitive way through personal interactions with them. Aside from providing a place for oce operations, the Rennes ministry center provides a venue for prayer, Bible study, fellowship and training. It also serves as a gathering place for women during the annual Christmas Breakfast.

Women of France Respond to God

an increasingly secular society nd opportunities to interact spiritually. Evangelism can prove to be challenging. Yet, it is not true that French women are not interested in hearing about God, Marie Carmen declared. The Christmas Breakfast responded to these realities. It is a time when Christian women invite their friends, families and colleagues to gather to hear about the Christ of the Season. At the 2010 Christmas Breakfast, several women expressed their desire to know more about Jesus. Early in 2011, 16 of them a ended the rst meeting intended to meet them in their spiritual journey. The ministry designed a fourtogether
Several women expressed their desire to know more about Jesus during the 2010 Christmas Breakfast.

arely do women in

part series entitled True Love. Marie Carmen prayed the participants would know how Christs message is relevant for today and for them. Further she added: We have been amazed by the quality of the conversations, interactions, sharing .... These women were deep and honest. The women said how they appreciated this time talking of important and relevant ma ers.

Marie Carmen seeks our prayers. Please keep on praying for each of them, for what they heard [and] discovered about God s love. Pray that they will come [to the] next meeting, with an open heart and a desire to go further. And why not pray for more to join us?

She requested special prayer for the woman who confessed in front of the others: I don t believe. I would like to believe. What should I do? Without prayers and the Holy Spirit, this meeting and the ones following cannot have a spiritual and eternal

impact, Marie Carmen acknowledged. Please pray more female believers actively and boldly join Gods redemptive work. Pray He grants wisdom and creativity to sta members as they think of relevant and a ractive programs. Pray more women will commit their lives to God and their testimonies can draw the men in their lives.

The Gospel Travels to Cyberspace

array of comprehensive information about almost anything, Cyberspace presents a far-reaching stage for God s Word. Agap France operates a website named www.Atoi2voir.com. It directs the searcher to a path where he or she can watch various lms online. These include JESUS, The Story of Jesus for Children, or Magdalena: Released From Shame. It also oers copies of these lms to be mailed to the respondents. The website provides views on dealing with life issues such as love, marriage, evolution, social and selfdevelopment, among others. It seeks to answer myriad questions, such as: If God exists, why do evil and suering seemingly prevail? How does Christianity dier from other religions? Can God take away my emptiness inside? The website unites the broad scope of online evangelism and discipleship with oine integration of new believers into local Christian communities. It encourages respondents to communicate with counselors, through email and by phone.

n a universe that revolves around Facebook, Twi er and the Internets

I am very happy to have found the answers to my question and have found Jesus, a young woman in France named Mylene declared after reading about spiritual truths through www.Atoi2voir.com. Although she grew up receiving religious education, she did not have a personal relationship with the Lord. Nonetheless, Mylene acknowledged her sinfulness. The following are excerpts from her salvation testimony. I didnt feel worthy of the love of God. I needed Jesus in my life to help me follow His teachings for a healthier life. I wanted to give up all vices which had been a slave and I needed the help of God. I studied the articles on www.Atoi2voir.com... I read the four gospels of the New Testament, and watched the lm showing the Old Testament, which helped me be er understand the story, how God prepared the people to receive the Messiah, and thus be er understand the role of Jesus. I understood that through Him we have the opportunity to be saved from our sins.

I sincerely asked Jesus to enter my life and ... it was as if all my burdens disappear[ed], and I felt very strong love of God.

His teachings. Thank you for your best interest to me, and I thank the site, very well done. Please pray that, like Mylene, more people will visit

All my research, my reading, led me nally to what I found in the words of Jesus, simple things that allow me to direct my life through

the ministrys site, meet the Savior, go through the online Bible study series, and join a local fellowship.

All my research, my reading, led me nally to what I found in the words of Jesus, simple things that allow me to direct my life through His teachings. Thank you for your best interest to me, and I thank the site, very well done.

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In addition, distributors oered evangelistic materials, including DVDs of JESUS. We appreciate how the project continues to bear fruit in France. At this point we are hoping to do a similar project in September 2011, one sta member mentioned. Pray the recipients who are fascinated with Martin Luther King Jr.s philosophies also will be drawn to Christs teachings. Pray they choose to

celebration of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation week in the French territory of Guadeloupe early this year. The ministry, along with Christian organizations, distributed copies of a booklet that aptly describes the faith and legacy of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.the man who preached the three fundamental principles. During the distribution people asked for more copies of the materials. Of course, the distributors willingly obliged. After all, they had 5,000 copies to give away. Positive responses greeted the distributors when people stopped to talk to them. The ministry also held conferences, exhibits, performances and lectures where municipalities and companies took part.

gap France participated in the

trust His death on the cross to save them from sin. Please pray upcoming similar events will succeed and bear spiritual fruit. Jean-Claude Girondin, a part-time pastor, leads and coordinates these activities. Pray he receives spiritual wisdom, physical strength and human resources.

Training V s for Ch rch eaders

in a society that somehow has lost the language of spiritual realities. He also recognizes the crucial need to train church leaders in the areas of evangelism and discipleship. Yet the fast pace of life renders it dicult, if not virtually impossible, to a end trainings and conferences. During the past year, Agap France created a set of DVDs called How to Talk About God Today to respond to these needs. These DVDs could bring theological, sociological and cultural training to Christians and also contribute, by means of an a ractive, dynamic and easily accessible tool, to train disciples in evangelism, Francis explained. Specially adapted to French culture, they are designed to mobilize churches to actively answer Gods call to evangelize and disciple the people of France.

s a pastor, Jean-Claude appreciates the complexities of proclaiming the gospel

Through the leadership of Pastor Jean-Claude, the ministry started the preliminary work. He trusts the Lord to remove various obstacles in the process. The past year proved to be dicult for Jean-Claude as his team members resigned. He badly needs people to manage and complete the various stages of the DVD project and implement them. Although the initial DVD was ready, the audio did not meet the standard required for production. Please pray the Lord will raise a team with the same vision of training churches. Please pray He provides the additional funding needed to develop a higher-standard DVD. Pray He will facilitate the process. Pray Pastor JeanClaude perseveres despite delays and discouragements.

Tools and Spirit al Blessings

Christ. Here are dierent responses from pastors regarding a 2010 Christmas project using Magdalena: Released From Shame. The team had a stall [in the market] presenting the theme, Christmas: the Good News. Visitors willing[ly] accepted the free DVDs we oer. We made several good contacts that we will be able to follow up in the future. Our thanks go to Agap France for all the help they gave us in se ing up this project. Approximately 30 people, including four adults and ve children new to the church, came to watch

gap France oers training, tools and event coordination to the body of

the movie which was well-appreciated. The audience was touched, and several contacts will be followed up in the near future thanks to this event. On the whole the movie was well appreciated. A couple, of Algerian origin, wanted to buy the DVD for their mother living in Kabylia (northern Algeria). [Magdalena] is a good tool that is easy for a pioneering church to use. We also use the Magdalena DVDs when we do street evangelism. People show interest and accept it quite willingly. Several members of the church use the DVD in their personal outreaches to friends and acquaintances.

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hat a blessing it is for us to be a team working together with you! Through your faithfulness we are encouraged to persevere. We can only give thanks for all that God is doing! Your partnership and friendship mean so much to us, Francis exclaimed. A rejoicing Marie Carmen concurred and declared: Thank you to be such a precious part in the great ministry of sharing the gospel.

Be blessed and strengthen in all you do and live. Our Lord is alive and at work! Their gratitude extends to all those who play a crucial role in enabling them to proclaim the gospel in France. Thank you for giving to the ministry in France. May the Holy Spirit continue to pave the way for the shifting of the nations spiritual landscape.

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the sovereign LORD my refuge I will tell of all our deeds, (Psalm 73:28, New International Version).

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