January newsletter

Hi friends and family

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year - for those in the Southern Hemisphere I hope your Summer holidays were fun and that you all managed to get some well-deserved rest.. and for those in the Northern Hemisphere, well, I hope the few days off were cosy and peaceful. Either way, I am praying for an amazing 2024 for all of you!

Set Apart

As an Every Nation family world-wide, we are kicking off the year with a week of prayer, fasting and consecration before we launch into all that God has planned for this year. As I am writing this, we are on Day 4 of the fast - I am so grateful for this time of being “set apart” in prayer and studying God’s Word, praying for specific people and areas; praying for our cities and nations. If any of you are interested in following the devotions with us this week, you are welcome to have a look at it here:

Some Info about Marseille

As promised in my previous letter, I realise that a lot of you don’t know much about the city of Marseille, so I thought it would be good to share a few things here so you can pray with understanding and believe with me for God’s Kingdom to come in this interesting city of contrasts!

The Old Port of Marseille with the Notre Dame de la Garde in the background

Marseille is beautiful in part, and filthy in part - like any old city, but the stark contrast of the beautiful Mediterranean on the one side and dilapidated, graffiti-covered buildings on the other, tells a story of wealth and poverty, both physically and spiritually. While it might seem people may have material things, the spiritual poverty runs deep. People need Jesus and don’t know it. One conversation I had with a 16 year old teenager while doing an outreach one day was shocking to me. I asked her if she ever thought about God at all, and her response was: Why would I?

Marseille is the oldest city in France, founded by the Greeks around 600 B.C. - evidenced in the old buildings and architecture. Marseille is also a port city, with a large amount of port traffic from North Africa. There is a significant immigrant population from previous French colonies - Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Niger, Chad, Mauritania - and others, resulting in a large Muslim population in the city. So Islam is definitely on the increase in France, with France having the highest Muslim population in Europe, second to Germany.  While this provides a challenge, it also provides an amazing opportunity to reach Muslims with the gospel.

This photo is one of our mission teams at the top of Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica, one of Marseille’s biggest landmarks. This is known by locals as “La Bonne Mère” (the good Mother) - referring to Mary who is watching over and protecting the city. So, naturally, Marseille has its roots deep in Catholicism.

Personally, I have found chatting to older people deeply rooted in their Catholic faith more of a challenge than speaking to young Muslim students, who are generally open to discussion and respectful of different beliefs.

The focus of our church this year will be equipping and helping as many people as possible to know how to share the gospel effectively and share their testimony in a way that makes people feel seen, heard and loved. This Saturday we are hosting a training day where I have the privilege of speaking about the gospel and the best ways to minister it effectively. I would appreciate your prayers as we teach but then also go out and share the gospel in the afternoon.

Sharing the gospel isn’t as straightforward in France as it is in some parts of the world. We are not permitted onto the university campuses or other public spaces as a religious organisation - we have to be very careful and strategic of how we access students and speak to people about Jesus at work, in schools or other places. Please pray with us for wisdom, favour, protection, and access as we seek to share the gospel with more young people.

There is a lot more I could share but this is already a lot! I hope it gives you more of a visual picture of where I am and the context of doing ministry in this pocket of Europe. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. Your partnership is making a huge impact in the lives of every person who hears the gospel or encounters the love of God. Thank you.

At this point I am continuing to do ministry while raising the rest of my support. Please pray for more monthly partners to join in what God is doing in Marseille, and the rest of Europe.

I pray for all of you regularly, so please let me know if there is anything specific I can be praying for.

Lots of love,

Fiona

Every Nation Marseille