New hope for a new year
CMS missionaries Daniel and Kate Morris work with the GBU (GroupesBibliquesUniversitaires de France), a group that evangelises, trains and disciples university students. They share how the new academic year has started for GBU in their region and the need for more workers to serve in France.
A new beginning with new hope
It’s the beginning of a new academic year in France, and one that feels full of hope. Last year in our city, Lille, all universities were mostly closed to face-to-face classes, and it stayed that way for the whole academic year. There are students across France who have not set foot on campus since March last year! Yet the universities are open now.
We’re excited about the new students here in GBU Lille, and we wonder how God will be at work in their lives this year.
“Isaac*, one of the new students, spent the last three years as the only Christian in his high school, yet he ran a Bible study for his non-Christian friends. He’s now a university student and knows no other Christian students, but he’s ready to establish a group anyway to invite friends along.”
The need for workers
Daniel is the only staff worker for Lille, a city of 120,000 university students. He also works for our whole region (the North) alongside another staff worker, Pascale. Pascale lives an hour and a half away in Amiens. Together they help students in the region establish and run Bible study groups and support them through the year.
One of the key issues for ministry in France is the need for workers. There are approximately 2.7 million university students in France and only a small number of university staff workers to support them. There are cities in France where there is no GBU staff member to care for or train students.
Some local Christians struggle in communities where they know no other believers. For others there are few opportunities to be discipled or trained in their faith. Doing ministry alone can be isolating and difficult for these students.
The need for more workers was made clear at a recent training day in Amiens. The training was held for the students in the North as they prepare to lead Bible study groups this year—one student travelled three hours to get there, Amiens was the closest option for leadership training.
Isaac*, one of the new students, spent the last three years as the only Christian in his high school, yet he ran a Bible study for his non-Christian friends. He’s now a university student and knows no other Christian students, but he’s ready to establish a group anyway to invite friends along.
What an encouragement and a challenge this is. Please pray for Isaac and the other students as they boldly set out to bring the gospel to their cities. And pray for more people to serve in France, supporting, equipping and reaching out with the gospel to students.
* Name changed for privacy reasons.
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The needs are vast. Daniel Morris is the only university staff worker in a city of more than 100,000 students. Why not start a conversation with your CMS branch [insert link] about whether you can serve there, or elsewhere, with CMS?