Welcome to France from Paul Cooke on Vimeo.
We've been sharing the following video as part of our presentation in churches when we can and it's one that we feel helps to explain the need for churches and church planters in France. Special thanks to France Mission who included this video on their resource page and to the people who made it!
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We shared this video with a group of middle schoolers last summer but it seemed they couldn’t decide if it was serious or not. We got some forced laughs when we told them it was supposed to be funny. To set the record straight, most French people wear nice scarves, not berets, and moustaches looked like the ones in America. Frogs and snails seemed less prevalent in an average meal than vast assortments of cheeses and fresh bread (two things that the French are quite proud of). I’m not picking on the French - I’m well aware of some of the stereotypes that Americans have as well! When I travel to another country, I strive to be a gracious guest instead of living up to some of the less pleasant expectations people have of Americans.
Greg has been reading “Cultural Misunderstandings: The French-American Experience,” heavily recommended to us as missionary recruits to France. It’s something that I need to sit down and read as well. It covers topics like conversation, families, friendships and even telephone calls. Whether we want to admit it or not, the French are very different than Americans and not just in the language that we speak. There will be many cultural gaffes (though hopefully none detrimental) in our future as well as language problems. It's crucial for us to both accept this as a reality and be sensitive to the people around us. We've noticed that the French tend to be gracious and patient when we are courteous and polite guests. The stereotype is that French people are rude; the French are, in fact, more reserved than Americans and generally don’t greet strangers on the street. (They in turn find Americans to be loud, nosey and weird.) They are slow to form new friendships because friendship for them is a serious investment in another person. They generally do not come to new churches in droves because first they must determine if it’s worth it, if it will provide something lasting, if it is more than a fad. The French must see the value in something before they will embrace it. If we stopped at that initial stereotype, we would never see the reality behind it. Part of forming relationships is setting aside prejudice and stereotypes and honestly getting to know an individual. We are called to love people, but it might be difficult to love someone who we've made negative assumptions about. We are called to make disciples, but that means we must earn the respect of our listeners. So much of ministry hinges on both our personal walk with God AND our attitude. It’s the old adage of “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Greg and I are excited to go work alongside the French people. The people we met last year who are leading ministries there are doing amazing things and their enthusiasm is contagious. Knowing that they want us to come work with them is even more motivation for us to go for it! We are currently in the process of raising support and have quite a way to go. If you are interested in knowing more about our goals or how you can help, please email us at [email protected]. We would love to talk to you, your church, your friends and anyone who might be curious about what we’re doing! Our goal is to start school there in September. Can you help us get there? Greg here, thought I’d take a minute to update everyone on what exactly is happening with our family as we do our best to get on the field as soon as possible. Originally we were leaving our ministry duties (in their full-time capacity) at the end of February. Earlier in the month of February we were asked to stay on board to help with the transition toward a new staff member at HCC until the end of May (perhaps the beginning of June). We accepted this as the best plan for lots of reasons- one being that we never wanted to hand off the ministry and the very real people who are a part of it to no-one. Rather, we wanted to work as closely as possible with any future minister to make sure they started out in the best situation possible. Just a break here- I feel strongly that many times we (ministers/pastors/whatever you call yourself) do a horrible job at this. True, the church asks so much from us but we ask much from it in return. Have churches dropped ministers like hymnbooks? Sure. Shouldn’t it be our job to do the best we can to leave any local ministry on the best footing possible? Yes. We will still be traveling and speaking. In fact we’ll be at the South Mills Church of Christ (South Mills, NC) in a few Sundays and the Bowersville Church of Christ (Bowersville, OH) in April. Our goal of course is to do as much speaking/meeting as we can to communicate what we are doing and why church planting in France is important. We want to make more appointments. If you happen to be reading this and want to set something up, drop us a line! In more exciting news we heard back from France Mission, or at least one of the key people in the organization. The group is starting a new church planting training in 2015 in Loches. Loches is where the church was that we got to visit while in France in May 2013. This seems like it would be a great fit and all the indications are that they feel this way too! Pray for this situation! So what happens after the end of May? We work like we’re biking up the Pyrenees. Stretch ourselves. Lean on God. Every time we are approached by someone who is willing to support this work or hear from a church who has some interest it is a huge boost. This has never really been about people supporting us. I mean, yes, we need support to go. We need prayer partners and love. This has always been about returning to God the same kind of sacrifice and love that He gave for us. I think John (who wrote a few books collected in The Bible) wrote about this kind of love. I can only love because God first loved me. I can only GO because He CAME for me and everyone. Sweet. |
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