Getting started

We are a week into our time in Versailles, taking care of St Mark’s International Church. This is a shorter locum period than usual – just five weeks, as we have been quite busy already this year. So we are particularly aware of our status as ‘sojourners’ – just passing through. Though for the time we are here we shall be engaged with the worshipping community and its needs, as well as enjoying being part of that community for a short time.

I suppose that is a kind of parable of our life as Christians. As the writer to Hebrews puts it, “Here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come” (Heb 13:14) We are always something of a stranger in a foreign land, for “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). Which is not to say that we are to be otherworldly. Christians have to be firmly rooted in the world, concerned to affirm signs of God’s presence and to point to signs of his kingdom – and at the same time, not to allow ourselves to be absorbed by the (often distorted) values of this world.

Anyway, we are looking to enjoying our sojourn here in various ways. It is always good to be back in France, which is very much our second home. The clergy house here is large and airy (wonderful on a sunny day!) with an equally large garden. The downside is the presence of a busy railway line on one side and the N12/A89, and a principal route into Versailles on the other!

The weather is a bit ‘English’ at the moment (a contrast with our visit in 2015, when it was hot most of the time.) And we’ve been quite busy, so there’s not much of a holiday at the moment! We had a good crossing last Tuesday/Wednesday – and then spent a couple of hours in Le Havre. It was well worthwhile. There was some very imaginative rebuilding after the devastation of the Second World War, under the guidance of a gifted architect – Auguste Perret. We particularly liked his very visible church of St Joseph, with a splendid, tall, central tower, and some good coloured glass throughout. We also visited the Musee Malraux which has a remarkably large collection of Impressionist paintings, as well as hosting some high profile temporary exhibitions. Not bad for a provincial city!

One of the strange features of being in France during August, is that so many restaurants and cafes are closed – which limits one’s choices for eating out. Bakers also are liable to close down for a month, to make the task of walking to buy one’s daily bread more demanding. There is obviously a different attitude to work; the healthy side being a concern for taking family holidays and rest; the more negative side is the lower priority given to providing a service for others.

Our first Sunday worship seemed to go well. It was a great gift to be able to preach on the Transfiguration – such a wonderfully rich theme. We’ve also attended a couple of home groups which meet in the church, and seem to want to carry on through August. We’ve been to two meals with church members, which has given a good opportunity to discover a bit more about the state of things here. (St Mark’s didn’t expect to have to endure another vacancy so soon after the last. The chaplain who has appointed after our last visit only stayed for 12 months!)

So, there is some work to do – but also some opportunities to explore this area, as well as re-visiting Paris. We are expecting a couple of visitors – Nathanael (who arrived yesterday) and our oldest grandson, Samuel.

Please pray for:

our ministry here at St Mark's, that we may be open to any particular needs

safety for us and our visitors (there has just been another terrorist incident in Paris.)

Some better weather would be welcome too!