Janette comes from the Midlands. She trained to be a teacher, and taught in two Anglican Church schools in the early 80’s. She came to Christ as a teenager through the wife of the pastor of her local church. I come from the San Francisco Bay area, and got a degree in French civilization from the University of California, Berkeley. I became a Christian at 15, through a high school friend who wanted to share his faith with others. I joined Cru/Agapé upon graduation and came to France in 1981. Janette and I met at a Bible study conference, and were married in 1983. Our son and family live nearby in the Paris region.
You may wonder why France, a European country, needs missionaries. It is usually thought of as a Christian country. The reality is that France has been secularizing for 200 years. At most, 10% of the population attends church. Of France’s 38,000 cities and towns, 36,000 have no permanent evangelical witness. Most people we meet have no real understanding of what it means to know God in a personal way. It was this great spiritual need, and the fact that I already spoke French that convinced me where God was leading me. I was touched by the Apostle Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 9:22 : I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. My burden was and still is to help fulfill the Great Commission in France as a cultural “insider”.
God is working in France. One new Evangelical church is being planted ever 10 days. The National Council of French Evangelicals has as its goal to see one church for every 10,000 people in France.
We have several different ministry responsibilities. We work with couples, giving them Biblical answers to their questions. Janette is finance director for Agapé France. It is her goal to serve the field staff, keeping them freed up and unhindered in their ministries. I also have a hand in training our new French staff as they join our ministry, equipping them for the beginning phases with our ministry. We are also involved in discipleship with leaders in our church.
