Shepherding Trips Report

The Lord is truly blessing His work in France and throughout French-speaking Europe. The

short-term shepherding trips have been a great help in supporting our ongoing care for the

local saints and the new ones who have been gained since the gospel trips began in May of

2024. The need remains for more saints to participate in these shepherding trips.

 

There are many needs throughout French-speaking Europe, but we would like to mention

three cities where we soon anticipate the raising up of lampstands: Toulouse, Nanterre (Paris

Region), and Lille. The prayer for a number of years has been the Lord's need to have more

churches in France. Praise Him that He used the 2024 gospel and shepherding trips to

accomplish His desire!

 

In order for the Lord to gain what He is after in France, there is a great need for migration.

Full-timers, students, families, and older saints are all needed to strengthen the testimony

here in France.

 

1. That the Lord will establish golden shining lampstands in Toulouse, Lille, and Nanterre.

2. That the Lord will release a meeting hall in Nanterre at the appointed time.

3. That the Lord will shepherd and perfect all the saints, including the new ones gained from

gospel trips, for the organic building up of His Body.

4. That the Lord will bless the next generation through personal shepherding, the family life,

and the church life for the continuation of His testimony.

5. That the Lord will release more saints to migrate to France to strengthen His testimony.

6. That the Lord will release the VISAs for all those who have been called to migrate to

France.

7. That the Lord will release more saints in the short term to participate in the shepherding

trips.

 

We would like to present to all the saints a particular need concerning the church in Dieppe.

The church in Dieppe has a meeting hall, but there is a small piece of land for sale that is

between the Dieppe meeting hall and the street. If the saints are able to purchase this land,

their meeting hall will become much more useful. Those would like to make a donation for this purchase can offer through LME with the designation "Meeting hall in Dieppe." Please

follow instructions at lme.org/offerings.html.

Sharing from saints on the Shepherding Trips:
1. Palaiseau: We are in the continuation of Acts: We are here for the propagation, the

multiplication, and the spread of the resurrected Christ in ascension for the producing of

the churches in France. I learned that coming to Paris is not to do something for the Lord

but first to let Him make His home in my heart. Every day He is rekindling my love toward

Him. In the mornings I spend time with saints to exercise the spirit and to pray, fellowship,

and enjoy the word. There is the mutual supply, shepherding, and care for one another

with much and thorough prayer throughout the day. We meet with saints and new ones in

home meetings and in the church meetings. This is a precious time and the greatest joy

to be here. I treasure the coordination and the one accord in the Body.

 

2. Paris area: When I see what is happening here in France, what else can I do except

praise God! Surely the Lord has taken a very big step in France!

By His mercy I visited France three times since the beginning of 2024: starting in January

for the FTTA gospel trip, followed by the summer Bible distribution during the Paris

Olympic Games, and now for a shepherding trip. After these trips I can testify that the

Lord is doing an unprecedented work in His recovery in France!

 

The Lord as the Lord of the harvest has answered the prayers of the saints and has

thrusted out His workers from many countries (and many continents!). I was very touched

by the sweet coordination among the serving saints on the Paris team. They are

endeavoring to keep the oneness of the Spirit and diligently keeping the one accord for

the one work of the Lord.

 

During my current shepherding trip I joined myself to the local saints’ labor to shepherd

the newer ones. In the home meetings the living rooms were completely filled with people.

Young, living, and active can be the three words that describe the atmosphere of the

meetings.

 

My experience during the past 3 weeks in Paris reminds me of a brother’s sharing

concerning catching lightning in a bottle (how to receive the Lord’s blessing): If there is

oneness among the saints, if all the saints are functioning, and if the saints are caring for

fruit-bearing, then we will receive the Lord’s blessing! I feel that the Lord has opened the

windows of heaven to bless His work in France. May the Lord keep strengthening the

churches in France and raise up new lampstands in Nanterre, Toulouse, Lille, and Rouen

in the very near future!

On Monday nights we have a student and young adult meeting which alternates between two

homes here in Nanterre. Approximately 20 attend, and we have dinner and fellowship

together. Seven newer ones whom we met during the 2024 gospel trips regularly attend. We

are currently reading The Economy of God. Each week 4 or 5 volunteers prepare an

assigned portion from our reading; then, after each person shares, there is opportunity for all

to share their enjoyment or to ask questions. Everyone is encouraged to read the chapter

beforehand, so that they can share an overflow of what they enjoyed. This is always a time

full of mutuality in perfecting, caring, and shepherding. You can really tell that the Lord has

been growing and is continuing to grow in each one. In the beginning, when we would come

together, the newer ones would just listen, but now all are actively participating by asking

questions, responding to the questions, and sharing their experiences. It is so encouraging to

see that the saints and new ones do not want to merely know these truths in a doctrinal way;

they desire to know how to experience and enjoy these truths!

 

Last Monday night a newer one just discovered for himself the high peak of the divine

revelation: that God wants to make man the same as He is in life and nature but not in the

Godhead. We are becoming God in life and nature. This was a great discovery to him, and

everyone in the meeting was so happy that he touched the mark of God’s economy!

 

It has been a little over one year since we began to labor in Lille for the gospel through

Bible distributions. For the nourishing of our new ones, we have been meeting mostly one-

on-one with them in the homes and in cafes. The progress of so many has been through a

simple labor with the goal of raising up the church life in Lille. This has been encouraging and

life-changing for all the shepherding ones—both the local and visiting shepherds—as well as

for the new ones. This will be a memorial for us all!

 

We currently have 37 in our care with more slowly being added. Of these, 19 have completed

all 3 volumes of Basic Elements of the Christian Life and have gone on to The Economy of

God. We fill our homes with times of prayer and reading-speaking the Word. This exercise is

training the new ones along with us to have the proper church life.

 

The goal of the one-on-one nourishing in the homes is to produce small group meetings for

the perfecting of the new ones. When reading The Economy of God with our new ones, it is

during the last 5 chapters of this book that they begin to manifest a desire to come together

with others. At the end of May we had our first English-speaking small group meeting with 5 of our new ones who are bilingual. The time was so sweet! Using Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-

25; Colossians 2:2; and 1 Corinthians 14:26, we fellowshipped briefly what is the intention of

this weekly meeting—the fellowship of intimate concern and mutual teaching. In this time we

enjoyed spontaneously opening to one another with spontaneous prayer. This small group

has been reading The All-inclusive Christ for the perfecting of our daily experience and

enjoyment of Christ, which produces a church life that is an exhibition of the riches of the all-

inclusive Christ.

 

We also will continue our one-on-one care with the new ones by reading through The

Practical Expression of the Church. May the Lord raise up the church in Lille soon!

The third Basic Truth Conference for the church in Paris was held at the Hirondelles meeting

hall on June 14. Around 40 adults and 5 young people attended over the course of the three

meetings. The topics of the meetings were, respectively, “Dealing with the Past,” “Consecration,” and “Dealing with Sins.” The brothers who prepared a brief introduction to

each message also emphasized that the main goal of these conferences was for the saints to

practice speaking these truths in an active way.

 

The day was full of sweet fellowship. At least 5 of those who attended were new to the

church life, and all of these newer ones actively participated in sharing their experiences and

asking questions about particular points of truth.

 

The saints who attended this time all participated in the group times, and many shared their

enjoyment in the overflow time at the end of each session. What an encouragement to see

the saints entering into these truths! We hope that many will attend the remaining truth

conferences planned after the summer months, the next of which will be held on September

20.

Giving

Saints who are burdened to give for the Bible distribution and other expenses can give through LME by following instructions at lordsmove.org/offerings.html. Designate offerings for “Paris Olympics.”

Archived Reports

Read all the past gospel reports here.