23 January 2022
Dear Alumni,
Happy New Year from EIC! We have much to be thankful for in Paris as we begin another year given to us by the Lord.
In the last half of 2021 we saw the Lord’s blessing in many different ways. The prolonged Covid season continues to present challenges for us, but we have far more to be thankful for than we realize.
In the last newsletter, we were anticipating the arrival of the Tate family. John Hugh, Linda, and their family had been approved as church planters with the IBC and were coming to serve with us in Paris. The Covid situation delayed their arrival in Paris for more than a year, but they finally arrived in the City of Lights this past August. They are currently thriving in France as they adjust to the new language and culture. EIC has received much benefit from their service. John Hugh is an experienced pastor who brings much wisdom to the church. Linda has many gifts and talents that she is using for God’s kingdom, and their kids have brought much grace to our children and youth ministries.
In news related to the EIC church plant at Ternes, we are excited to affirm Paul Helms as the new Lead Pastor. The Helms family had been here serving faithfully the church in a church planting intern role, and we are excited to promote Paul to this new position. After conducting its first pastor search, the team enthusiastically chose Paul and he was voted in. We are thankful to the Lord for this family and taking care of this new congregation by providing such a capable Pastor.
We had a sermon series in the fall called Churchology, where we explored the biblical teachings about the church. We looked at the particularities of the universal as well as the local church, including the way it is structured and its mission in the world. This study will help us to move forward in fruitfulness as we become more stable from a structure standpoint as France continues to increase our administrative burdens.
These past few months have also seen great progress in our youth group. Jaime and Anabel have been doing a great job in leading our teenagers as they get back to a more normal schedule after the Covid season. The group has increased in numbers through the rentree and recently had a fun trip to Disneyland in November. We are very excited about the discipleship going on in this group and are looking forward to what God has in store for our youth.
Many of you alumni who read this newsletter might recall memories from your time in Paris when we celebrated Thanksgiving together. In 2020 we weren’t able to do this event because of Covid, but we are happy that we were allowed to renew the tradition in 2021. This years thanksgiving was once again a great blessing, as EIC joined together with EBE and the gospel choir for a joint, bilingual service and traditional thanksgiving meal. Our church strives to be a thankful church, and this year we felt especially grateful to restore this tradition.
During the Christmas season, we were blessed to have John Hugh Tate leading our services. Pastor Parker was in the US for his home leave during December, so John Hugh handled the preaching duties. He led the church through a series called Home For Christmas, as well as led our candlelight Christmas Eve service. It was a great way to remember the Lord’s advent and celebrate together.
As we move into 2022, we are praying that the Lord continues to watch over us. We are thankful that we are doing well after the past two years of struggling with Covid. We have a vibrant, Christ-honoring congregation and the Lord is providing for all of our needs. Pray for us moving forward that we can be a thankful church in Paris, worshiping Jesus, trusting the Bible, believing the gospel, loving the city.
In Christ
Parker
