| Population | 57 Million |
| Official language | French |
| Capital | Paris |
| Evangelicals | 0.6% |
France is the largest country in Western Europe. Its wines and cheeses are known throughout the world, but modern France also has a strong engineering and manufacturing base. One of the founding members of what has become the European Union, France continues to influence events worldwide through its place on the UN Security Council and its strong links with former French colonies.
68% of the population describe themselves as Catholics, but church attendance has dropped dramatically. At the height of the Reformation, 48% of the population was Protestant, but that figure has dwindled to 2% today, partly through persecution of the Huguenots in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The small evangelical church is sadly divided into many denominations. Growth has been slow but steady since the war.
Over 43 million French people have no real link with a Christian church and only 5% of the population owns a Bible. Intellectualism, individualism and occultism are strong barriers to the Gospel. Many ethnic minorities are largely unreached, notably the large North African and Jewish communities.
OAC has been working in France since the 1960's. Evangelists from Britain and Switzerland organised summer outreaches and training seminars for many years, before the current staff became resident in France. The French work of OAC is part of the extension work of Europe Now. In France it is known as MEPA (Ministères d'Evangélisation en Plein Air).
Mark and Susan Howe moved to France in February 1989. They live in Cavaillon, a small town in Provence, south-eastern France. In addition to their evangelistic ministry, they make ends meet through a tent making activity involving web page design and other internet-related work.
Open-air evangelism is an effective way to contact people in France. Those who would be afraid to enter an evangelical church will often stop to listen to a clear presentation of the gospel. In the summer it is not unusual for large crowds to gather, particularly in city centres and at holiday destinations.
Often, when people stay after the presentation to talk with us, we find this is the first time that the person has spoken with someone who believes in the Bible. We work with local churches, and also encourage those who are interested to follow a free Bible correspondence course.
A highlight of our year is often the Avignon Festival, which attracts over 120,000 visitors each year. International volunteer teams work in the open air until late into the night, and reach people from all over the world. Thousands of people hear the gospel during the festival through our meetings.
Many children now receive no religious education. We run clubs for children of all ages, indoors and in the open air. Through Bible stories, games and memory verses, we aim to give them a firm foundation for their lives.Visual aids and the sketchboard always help to draw a crowd, and also emphasise the message.
MEPA is committed to equipping other Christians to communicate the gospel more effectively. We regularly teach in Bible Colleges in France and Switzerland, and run courses in many churches. We publish a number of manuals and other teaching materials.
At present, Mark is also very involved in the development and running of Church of Fools, an international Internet-based ministry which in its first trial period had thousands of visitors, 80% of whom were not regular church attenders. Church services are the main draw, but the church is open most hours for prayer, coffee (sorry, virtual) and a chat. Once the definitive English language version is up and running, a French version is not excluded. http://www.stpixels.com
MEPA is a faith mission. While income from France usually covers our immediate running costs, our staff's support comes largely from Britain (via Europe Now).
Festival Outreach
BORDERLINES ARTICLES cover the topics listed below
Life in a French church (April '98)
Gilles Vann, MEPA's latest recruit (April '98)
A year in the life of MEPA (April '98)
A training seminar in Elisabethville (Dec '97)
Festival Outreach (Dec '97)
Summer children's camps (Dec '97)
MEPA training centre opens (July '97)
Children's club in Cavaillon (Apr '97)
Meet Matthew and Sylvie Glock (Apr '97)
Market-place evangelism (Apr '97)
Festival Outreach (Nov '96)
An evangelistic meal (Jul '96)
The gospel in a free market (Apr '96)
Reaching Moslems in Marseille (Apr '96)
Outreach in two cities (Oct '95)
Conjuring conference (May '94)
Four years in Provence (Feb '94)
MEPA, 123 rue Lamartine, 84300 CAVAILLON Tel (+33) 488.233.223