Protestant en Fête

Yesterday was a unique experience. One that we really didn’t even know existed to tell you the truth. This weekend was the 2nd Protestant en Fête ever. It is a gathering that takes place every 4 years in a rotating city in France. This year’s gathering took place in Paris and, in addition to many concerts and other events that took place all weekend long, the Fête (“party”) ended with a church service on Sunday morning at one of the larger stadiums in the city. I think someone said the stadium seats 17,000 and there were around 14,000 people there. The choir (both on stage and in the seats at left and right of the stage) consisted of over 500 people from 100 different church choirs. The event is part of an overall effort to unite Protestant believers and churches in France. It’s exciting to see the different believers in France coming together to worship God together and to encourage one another. 

I think it is starting to sink in though, that we have a lot to learn about the church and the culture here in France. It is hard to even begin to explain without making too many assumptions (that may or may not be true… because we’re still learning). But I will share some of our very preliminary thoughts. In the midst of the event, at first we were wowed by the number of believers under one roof, but the more we thought about it, it didn’t actually seem like that many for the country of France. And it got us thinking about the truth of the numbers. My French teacher today also made a comment that she isn’t sure what percentage of the audience would be French verses other nationalities and also Christian workers like us. One other thing we are learning is that there are lot of different types of Protestant churches in France, much like in the States. Some of the things they agree and disagree about are similar to what we’re used too, but some are as new and foreign as this land. 

But still, we are impressed by the unity despite differences. And we don't want to downplay or talk poorly about the Fête at all, because we think it is a very good thing. We just wanted to share briefly about this unique and very cool experience and also give you a small peek into some of the conversations we are having. At this point I can say two things for sure, God loves this nation and these people, and we have a lot to learn in order to be effective here.