June 2003

Dear Christian Friends

In February and March I wrote round letting everyone know of the homecall of Paul Gilbert, the missionary/pastor of the church at Concarneau and founder of the radio work, Studio 5 FM. I am now putting you in the picture about the exciting and challenging developments which are taking place, both in the church and with the radio. This letter is a call to prayer and financial support, should the Lord share with you a vision and concern for what is now happening.

John Cherrie recently wrote this, ‘The church is continuing to grow and it is a great thrill to be preaching Sunday by Sunday to a packed hall with people having to sit on the stairs, as all the seats are full. Praise God for His goodness and the way in which He encourages us. Our prayer is that some of those people coming along will put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.’ John carries quite a burden of responsibility for church life and activity and we must strengthen his hand through our prayers.

Since the arrival of Nabine Poadi, as producer and presenter of the programme schedule, the garden studio has become too small to house the radio operation. Courageously, the team have rented shop premises in the centre of Concarneau and are currently busy renovating and equipping these premises. The aim, in due course, is to have the studio, a Christian bookshop, an internet café and a young people’s meeting place – like a coffee bar – all under the one roof. It is well situated to provide a real focus in this attractive but spiritually needy town for the evangelical witness provided both by the church and Studio 5 FM. Altogether, there is a new spirit of faith and adventure in the work, together with a sense that the Lord is beginning to build on the foundations so painstakingly laid by Paul Gilbert, at considerable cost to himself.

Some of us in the UK, are beginning to feel that the Spirit of God is starting to move in these developments at Concarneau. We wish to be identified with this – perhaps you do too, so –

We are developing a small committee under the name of ‘Orientation Vivre’, which is the registered name for the radio operation in Concarneau.
That means we can open a bank account to receive support from the UK for onward transmission.
We would like to encourage personal, small group and church interest for prayer, and propose sending out regular updates to anyone who would like to receive them.
We can arrange to collect and store any practical items you may be able to donate to the work, as listed on the next page.
In time, we will be able to speak about the work at churches and other organisations who may be interested, using slides and PowerPoint presentations.

If you would like to register an interest and be placed on our mailing list please drop me a line, either by letter or e-mail as you prefer, and we will get in touch with you.

As you look through the list of needs, you will realise that some of them just cannot wait for everything to be set up formally. There is an urgent need for financial support, especially in order to pay Nabine, who has a wife and two children to provide for. There are lots of practical items needed for the new premises, many of which could be provided from this side of the Channel.

So if you can do something immediately, we’d like to hear from you. Any cheques should be made out to ‘Orientation Vivre’. In due course we hope to establish a base of regular supporters who, as their circumstances permit, would be willing to give on a scheduled basis, say every month or quarterly. But please don’t wait for that to happen. If the Lord touches you now, please contact:

Jim Harris

E-mail: Hjustjim@aol.com

ITEMS FOR PRAYER

Pray that the Lord will continue to bless the work, in both church and radio, and that He will maintain the good team spirit that is evident in what is being done at present.

Pray for the team of people who produce the radio programmes, which has increased as young people from the church are becoming involved in live production.

Pray for Nabine Poadi, his wife and two young children, that the Lord will help them to integrate into both church life and also in the wider life of the town of Concarneau. Please also pray that the Lord will provide the means for Nabine to be paid each month.

Pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of some young people, both in France and from the UK, to spend some of their vacation time with the team on this new project.

Finally, pray that the Lord will continue to gve wisdom, strength, vision and faith, in order that this project might be carried forward in a way that is pleasing to Him.