There have been some curves thrown our way the last few months that need to be shared for prayer and just for discussion.
The first would be the saga with our building. When we started, nearly 11 months ago, we had an office and a place separate for ‘celebrations’ (our word for a church service). After a few months some things changed and it became clear that we weren’t going to be able to use this separate space for celebrations. This mainly comes back to the separation of church and state that we find in France (a concept different then what WE mean when we say that). Basically religious groups can’t be the ones who solely use a public building and there is a max that these groups can use said buildings. The application of this law is different around the country but the rule in general is fast (France is a country of exceptions, so *in general* this is the rule).
So for the last several months, perhaps seven, we have had celebrations at our office. This has worked out for the best as our office is accessible to the handicapped and is a much more welcoming, if not still neutral, environment. The maximum the office can handle by rule is 17 people. This last Sunday we were at 17. A few Sundays ago we were at 18. While we most likely will not run into any issues legally, it is still clear to us that we need to find another solution.
In praying about this we became aware that the storefront just next to our office will be opening soon. While the space is not incredibly larger and there will be work to do in order to open it to the public AND the cost is a little more, this will work out better for us in the long run. The landlord is the same and he is truly a great guy to work with (shout out to Dominique). We can welcome most likely up to 30-35 people, will be able to make the building feel more like a community building and less like an office, and will be able to fill an empty spot in the center of town. These are all positives.
So we’ll be moving next door hopefully by November. It is a positive. We hope to continue to be a positive.
A few weeks ago I (Greg still) started experiencing some pain that quickly became overwhelming. Kidney stone. Two and a half days in the hospital and moving a little gingerly at home. It was a curveball. I have work to do. There are people to see. Things to talk about. One of our older and much wiser friends who comes to church often said, ‘well I think God just wants you to slow down’. It’s fine. In a week I’ll go back to the hospital to remove the stent and then in a week or so after that be as good as new. The positives are we didn’t have to cancel any vacations. We still got to stick our toes in the Atlantic and roll around in the sand. Our friends and people who we love talking to are still around and it helped to show that we can rely on each other because God has given us each other.
So that’s what is going on in our lives. New location for the church offices and celebrations coming, people still being reached with the Gospel and kidney stones. Les curveballs.
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*La Vache! Is basically the French way of saying 'no way!' or 'oh man you've got to be kidding me!' or 'I can't believe this!'