March 6, 2013
By Brad Reynolds
In 2008, GCF-supported Alliance international workers Brad and Tina Reynolds planted a French-speaking church, Eglise Protestante Internationale (EPI) Léguevin, France. The meeting place that opened a year later was the first new church since the 12th century in the Toulouse suburb.
We are celebrating a birthday! On Sunday March 2, 2008, God birthed this church. Nineteen people signed their names as the founding members, and as it was then, EPI continues to be the fruit of prayer. Whatever has happened herethe last five years—those who have come to faith in Christ, been baptized, and made decisions to trust Him for various needs—is the result of the Spirit at work, answering our prayers.
Prayer is the primary work for each EPI outreach, including the Alpha course. During this 10-week study of God’s Word, participants—most of whom are not believers—ask questions about Christ and and talk about their previous experience with religion. We pray for their needs and celebrate with them when they see God answer their prayers.
New Life
Three of the six attendees began attending church regularly and will be baptized on Easter Sunday.
One of the people who came to faith during this Alpha course continues to amaze us with her progress. Not raised in the Christian faith, she says that it’s like “magic” the way things have changed. God is at work in her marriage and her personal life. He is teaching her so much, and she plans to tell her family about what has happened.
Recently, a woman who was with us for only the second time at our mid-week prayer meeting began to pray from her heart, expressing anxiety for her family and concern about the future in an uncertain world. I asked the group to respond in prayer, to offer promises from the Scriptures, and to minister to her need. Some prayed passages of the Word; others prayed for deep healing for past wounds. It was an expression of the Body of Christ in action, caring for the needs of a hurting sister.
EPI was the vision of Toulouse International Church (TIC) in 2003. On Wednesday, March 13, EPI will welcome TIC for an evening of prayer and worship to celebrate five years of God’s amazing faithfulness and His answers to prayer. The angels will be crowding out the room. Our God be praised!
What You Can Do
Pray
Partner with Alliance international workers through prayer, using our weekly Alliance Prayer requests.
Give
- Give to the Great Commission Fund (GCF) and support Alliance workers who are engaged in strategic ministries that open doors to introduce people to Jesus.
- Give now
Learn More
Filmed in 2002, this video shows how Alliance workers and their church partners have been confronting postmodernism in Western Europe for more than a decade.