Submitted by Paula Leitner
In recent days, a beautiful gathering for TJCII took place in Charmes-sur-Rhône, just south of Valence in France. Charmes is home to Union de Prière (Union of Prayer), a community started just after WWII by a Protestant pastor, Louis Dallière. This community has four pillars: personal revival, prayer for Israel, church unity, and the second coming of Yeshua.
It was in this rich heritage of almost 80 years of prayer for these topics that we met with leaders from the Body of Messiah from all over France. With 25 participants from very diverse backgrounds (Messianic Jews, Evangelicals, Protestants, Lutherans, Anglicans, Catholics), we had a team of five: Johannes and Pavol, our European directors; David Bouillon, a Protestant pastor with Belgo-French nationality living in Switzerland; Edjan Westerman, a Dutch Reformed emeritus pastor; and myself, one of the ambassadors for TJCII Europe.
We had three full days of program, in which we started by sharing the vision, the history, and the current realities of TJCII in France, in Europe, and around the world. All along the way there was beautiful dialogue and encounter. Together with the Holy Spirit, the team discerned several people with leadership qualities. They were asked to consider becoming part of the national team, and all of them responded with confirmation from their side.
From left to right: a retired Evangelical pastor, a Messianic Jew, a Catholic priest, a Lutheran couple and an Anglican-Evangelical couple
This happened already on the second of the three days! From there, things moved quickly: we had a time of meeting with the team, looking at the first concrete steps and challenges. The next morning there was a time slot in the program that they were leading. Without any human preparation, God gave each of them something precious to share.
One of the most significant things was their honoring those who had gone before them and who have worked for years spreading the vision of TJCII and keeping the flame alive. From this Abraham generation, two members were present: Pierre Chieux and Serge Jaquemus. There was a clear recognition that this was not a birth, but a re-birth, and that this new team was standing on the foundation laid by those who had gone before them. The team also took time to bless those participants who feel called to intercession and to take on the role of prophetic watchmen.
Praise the Lord for His sweet and glorious presence in our midst, for the beautiful relationships that are being formed, and for the work of His Spirit in and among us! We do ask you to keep these small beginnings (the team received the verse from Zech. 4:10) in your prayers. Almost all of the participants have felt overwhelmed by the speed with which things happened, and they are still trying to grasp the extent and depth of the vision of TJCII. As French people, they also feel very different from the international world, where English is the main language. But we know, in the natural, how many good flavors and perfumes France has to offer, and so also in the spiritual. So we rejoice greatly over the presence of France in our midst!