My monthly or so email news updates on the life of the Marseille church and Christians on Mission (CEM) spiritual training school. Be sure to visit the photo page.
News Updates
October 2008
Dauner News Update October 2008
The month of September, the starting point of our church calendar, always has the hopeful taste of new beginnings mixed with a hint of anxiety. Will our outreach ministries be effective? Can the Marseilles church gear up for another year of counter-cultural spiritual survival? How will the new CEM students rise to the challenge of intense mission activity?
Here is a rundown, in the form of pluses and minuses, of how things came out this year.
Club Cool Starts Out With a Bang
++ Many were wondering if our outreach ministry to elementary school children could survive the departure of former Club Cool directors Diana and Garth Hutchinson. Philippe, Dolores and Kathy, seconded by a whole team of assistants from the congregation, stepped into the breach to ensure that this weekday Bible class would continue to serve the children of the neighborhood. Newcomers more than made up for the graduation of the older Club Coolers to the next age group. A very respectable attendance of 26 kids for the first week increased to 32 by week two. This does not include the half dozen parents who stay to listen to the lessons.
– Diana and Garth are still irreplaceable.
Senior Retreat
+ This three day retreat for seniors at Bonnefoi Retreat Center does immense good for the older members of our churches. The spiritual uplift is immediately visible and carries lasting dividends.
– The attendance remains low from churches other than Marseilles. I really don’t know how to get more people to come. If they only knew what they were missing…
CEM Students Jump In Head First
++ Our four 18-year-old CEM students — Sarah, Kathleen, Anne and Jania — seem to have foregone the three months that it usually takes to adapt. From Day One of CEM, they plunged into a strenuous schedule of Bible classes, church ministries and community service. They show exceptional initiative and are willing to tackle just about any task that comes their way.
+++ Sarah Hutchinson received Christian baptism during a Sunday afternoon ceremony in the Mediterranean just a week before CEM began.
– No young men enrolled in CEM this year.
Bible Camp Sunday
+ A special program was organized on Sunday, October 5, for the parents of the young people of Marseilles who attended Bible camp in July: potluck dinner, camp games and quizzes, a video of the Harmony Bible Camp 2008. A dozen kids were at Sunday services for the first time.
– Not many unchurched parents were in attendance. We will try something else next year!
Committee of servants
+ Earlier this year, the Marseilles church chose twelve mature members to take responsibility for various aspects of church life. Since then, the group has bonded quite well and is becoming more and more involved in the everyday running of church life, especially mutual aid and support. A real encouragement.
Upcoming October Events
October 17
The wedding of recent converts Sabrina Timericht and Jacob Amghar. Both are ethnic Berbers and former Muslims.
October 23-28
Mission trip to Poland by the Harmonie Chorale and CEM students.
October 30-November 3
Teen Spiritual Retreat at Bonnefoi Center.
Prisca and I will never tire of thanking you for your solidarity with us in this ministry. The sacrifices you make are essentially “behind the scenes”; you make them for the love of God and his glory, with no regard for worldly recognition. Psalm 11 says that the Lord sees and loves righteous deeds. We see yours and they are an inspiration to us when we need to be inspired.
Max and Prisca Dauner
September 2008
Dauner News Update September 6, 2008
Max and Prisca at the Court of Appeals
We have postponed this news update in order to tell you the outcome of the September 5 custody hearing about Constantine Tertov (18) and Alexandre Dudar (11). (You will remember that Prisca and I accepted to take the two boys in as foster children when their mother, a member of the Marseilles church, passed away in February. Alexandre’s biological father appealed the children’s court’s decision granting us custody for one year. Yesterday’s proceeding actually concerned only Alexandre, since Constantine had in the meantime become legally an adult and free to live where he chooses.)
The hearing was long and emotionally intense, especially for the two boys. Alexandre was called to testify for twenty minutes before the panel of three judges in a cleared courtroom.
Although the announcement of the judges’ decision will be deferred till September 26, it was fairly clear that the court would not overturn the lower judge’s decision nor award custody to Mr. Dudar. That means we will be safe until January 2009, at which time the children’s court will decide to renew our guardianship or not. In the meantime, we will prepare with our lawyer a request for a longer and solider form of parental authority.
We thank all of you for your prayers and solidarity with us in this work of God. Without him, we would all be delivered defenseless into the hands of powers who have little heed for our welfare.
New Church Year
This month begins the first church year in Marseilles without our beloved coworkers Garth and Diana Hutchinson. It will be a year of transition and challenge, but at the same time exciting and full of opportunities to advance the gospel. Mission trips to Poland and Rumania are already in the works, as well as remixed if not new versions of various local outreach programs.
Let me mention for now two subjects that call for your intercessory prayer and active help.
Justin Named Minister-in-Training
The first is our youngest son Justin’s internship year as a minister for the Marseilles church. This is a ministry that Justin, 23, has been preparing for literally all his life, his formal education culminating in a Master’s Degree in theology due to be completed in October. This year will be crucial for him, allowing him to see how he can best serve the cause of Christ in the French world.
Since the Marseilles church is unable to provide all of his support for this year, Justin needs to seek help from other congregations. This will be one of the purposes of his trip to the United States from September 17 to October 15. The immediate occasion of the trip is to attend the Global Mission Summit & French World Missions Workshop (September 18-21) in Castle Rock, Colorado.
CEM Class of 2009
Please pray as well for our four new CEM students who have at least one thing in common: They are all girls! (A young male candidate from North Africa is to be interviewed shortly.) See their picture on the photo page.
July 2008
Dauner News Update July 31, 2008
The past six weeks, undoubtedly the most frenzied of our church year, were so packed with people and activities that they defy any detailed narration in a newsletter of this kind. Here is a brief summary of the four principal events that should require only a few minutes to read.
1. Work Week at Bonnefoi Retreat Center: June 22-27
Two dozen volunteers of all ages and from several different countries advanced the ongoing improvements on our retreat center in the Ardèche mountains. Besides preparing the buildings for the 2008 Bible camp, two new dormitory rooms were made habitable, the terrace was repaired, and the floor was laid in the outside corridor linking our two dining rooms.
Among the workers were nine members on mission from the Church of Christ in Littleton, Colorado: Frank and Alexander Aldrich; Rick & Jennifer and Jeff Mastalka; Scott & Candace, Preston and Monica McGinty.
2. CEM Summer Session 2008: June 29–July 6
A large contingent (42) of participants from outside of Marseilles made this year’s program especially dynamic. Seven countries were represented: France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada. The intensive week-long schedule was punctuated by three evangelistic concerts:
(1) at an outdoor theater during a gospel music festival in a suburb of Marseille;
(2) our musical play Break Down Our Walls: The Story of Joshua, performed at a neighborhood catholic parish church (The parish priest was overjoyed at the biblical content and evangelistic message of the play. He said, “I opened not only the doors of my church to you, but also the doors of my heart.”);
(3) a program of religious music and skits at our own chapel.
Two more couples from the Littleton church attended the session: Gus & Candy White, Kent & Jean Nofsinger. Both Gus and Kent appeared on the program and gave excellent talks on Christian ethics, and the presence of the Christ in the Old Testament.
3. CEM Ten-Year Alumni Reunion: July 12-14
Over half of the 50 alumni of our Christian on Mission spiritual internship (CEM) attended a week-end reunion held at the Bonnefoi Retreat Center. The program featured a talk by former CEM president Yann Opsitch, presently with Abilene Christian University.
4. Harmony Bible Camp: July 16-30
With 140 campers and 35 staff, this was, numerically, our biggest year ever. It would be hard to exaggerate the amount of work that goes into organizing and running the camp. It is a Herculean task. Plus, because of French laws regulating volunteer work, the staff has to pay their own room and board.
The theme of the camp centered on the missionary voyages of Paul. Each day, the campers made a virtual visit to one of the cities evangelized by the Apostle. My general impression is that the campers are increasingly spiritual in their attitude, even though a large number of them come from unchurched families. The main reason, probably, is the cumulative effect of the camp: Most of the kids have been attending for years, and Bible camp contributes to their spiritual maturation. This year, fifteen of the campers were foreigners from Italy, England and the USA. One of the older teenage girls from the south of France was baptized on the final Sunday of camp.
As for the staff, we will no doubt do what we do every year after camp: Sleep for two days!
Love in Christ,
Max and Prisca Dauner
May 2008
Dauner News Update May 27, 2008
Break Down Our Walls
Break Down Our Walls: The Story of Joshua is the title of the evangelistic musical comedy performed by our young people’s groups on Friday, May 23. The cast of thirty-four, ranging in age from tots to teens, reenacted the story of the fall of Jericho, flashing back to the call of Abraham and the giving of the Law. The message of the play directed by Diana Hutchinson and of the lyrics written by Prisca expressed the necessity of breaking down the walls of rebellion that separate us from God.
The 80-minute play was attended by a packed house at our local chapel, including a couple of dozen people who stood in the aisles and on the sidewalk. I would estimate that a full 50% of the audience was comprised of first-time visitors invited by members of the church. One sister brought 27 members of her extended family!
Highlights of Church Life during the Month of May
These are events that I usually do not feature in my E-mail newsletters. They will give you an idea of some of the “ordinary” activities of a typical month in the life of the Marseilles church.
• CEM Preaching Debut
Our two CEM young men, Justin Smith and Raphaël Enderlé, presented their first Sunday morning sermons at the Marseilles church. (It was Raphaël’s first public speaking ever before the entire community.) Both were outstanding. After completing the year at CEM, Justin plans to study Bible at Harding University in Arkansas.
• Long-prepared Baptism
Katia Gascon’s first contact with the Marseilles church dates from 1995, and she has been regularly attending services and a home Bible study for several years. Just when we were beginning to despair of her ever taking the decisive step of conversion, she announced her desire to receive Christian baptism. She was baptized in the presence of the whole church on Sunday, May 25.
• Wedding Explosion (NOT Ordinary)
This spring, wedding bells are ringing, ringing, ringing. Five couples with ties to the Marseilles church (either members, camp workers or former CEM students) are tying the knot during the months of May and June. Two more church members are planning their wedding in our chapel on October 4.
• Teen-Initiated Project
The teens organized an Italian Dinner at the church to raise money for children of the Naples, Italy church who will be attending Harmony Bible Camp in July. The funds (about $400) will help pay their transportation costs.
• Evangelism in Song
Chorale Harmonie’s outreach ministry this month: the musical play Break Down Our Walls, an evangelistic concert in the south part of town, a concert at a new retirement home in the neighborhood, singing at the wedding of a member of our young adults group.
• Neighborhood Bible Study Groups
Every Saturday afternoon, I teach one of two biweekly Bible study groups at two local catholic parishes. This is the first year that I have been entrusted with sole responsibility for these groups. There are three or four other small group studies led by Greg, Philippe or Guy during the week.
• Committee of “Servants” Meeting
This is a new feature in the life of the Marseilles church: a regular get-together of the twelve members chosen by the congregation to take responsibility for certain aspects of church life (children’s Bible classes, benevolence, maintenance, etc.).
Well, the list could go on because May is a particularly active month.
However, as busy as May is, it is simply a warm-up for the four major events of June-July:
• work week at Bonnefoi Retreat Center,
• Christian on Mission Summer Session,
• Ten-Year Reunion for CEM graduates,
• Harmony Bible Camp.
“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9.4.)
We bless God for not only revealing to us his Purpose for humanity and integrating us into it, but also for allowing us to collaborate with Him as He directs it toward its final consummation. May that day come soon and bring endless joy to those who love and serve Him.
Max and Prisca Dauner
April 2008
Dauner News Update May 6, 2008
Chorale Harmonie Spring Concert Tour: A Few Reflections
For the past ten years, the Chorale Harmonie has devoted spring break to concert tours in various European countries. The purpose of these trips has always been two-fold : fellowship and evangelism. On both accounts, the April concerts in Lyon (France), Leysin, Geneva and Zurich (Switzerland) and Bucharest (Romania) gave us good reason for satisfaction.
Perhaps more than any previous year, the inviting churches did a great job making our visits evangelistic events, organizing concerts in local church buildings, catholic parishes, public schools, concert halls and city parks. For many people who heard us, it was their first (and positive) contact with the church.
The only exception was a local church where we had never sung before. The reaction of the members was typical: “Had we known you sang so well, we would have invited outsiders. You will have to come back and sing in the great dowtown cathedral.”
The Romanian brethren want us to return to their country next year for the whole Spring tour and sing in five different cities. They even ask us, tongue in cheek, that Prisca learn Romanian so she can write lyrics for their hymns.
Football (Soccer) Evangelism
During the last weekend of April, the FCFC (Football Club of Fuveau Chapel) participated in the inter-church soccer tournament organized for the churches of Christ by the Zurich congregation in the small town of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Over 200 players in 18 teams representing over 20 churches from 6 European countries were involved. The two Marseilles teams (FCFC) finished second and fifth.
Neither our singing nor our sporting activities exist for themselves. Like everything we do in church, our purpose is to move closer to Christ ourselves and to help others discover Him. In an overwhelmingly secularized society, song and sport remain open doors (even if they are open backdoors) to the world of faith.
New Marseilles Church Website
http://web.mac.com/mission_marseille
And you may want to visit my personal website in English. I have uploaded some photos of our concert tour and football tournament as well as a study of John 2: Jesus Changes Water into Wine.
faxbymax.net
May God’s grace and peace abide with you always,
Max and Prisca Dauner
March 2008
Dauner News Update March 26, 2008
Easter Sunday at Fuveau Chapel
Sunday is my favorite day all year long, but some Lord’s Day assemblies bring particularly memorable spiritual refreshment. Easter Sunday, 2008, was one such experience.
We expected some visitors, not only because it was Easter but also because one of the girls of the youth group — Claire — had invited friends to attend her baptism on that day. (Baptisms are an important public event in France and represent a rare opportunity to welcome the unchurched to a Sunday morning service.) In fact, there were some 30 visitors, out of a total attendance of over 90. The special two-hour service featured, as is our custom in Marseilles, a sermon on the resurrection and the reading of the resurrection accounts from the Gospels.
The morning assembly ended with the announcement of the engagement of two of our young adults: Jacob and Sabrina, who are to be married in October.
A full chapel, a baptism, a wedding engagement and above all… a risen Christ!
Chorale Harmonie Concert Tour: April 5-11
The Harmony Choral’s traditional spring concert tour will take us this year from Marseilles to Lyon, France; Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; and to Bucharest, Romania. The singers, all from the local church, are not professionals by a long shot, but thanks to a talented choral director (Kathy Young) and lyricist (Prisca) our concerts have proven to be an effective means of communicating the gospel. This will be our first foray into an Eastern European country.
Philippe as “Unofficial” French Army Chaplain
Philippe’s ministry at the neighboring Army hospital has lead to his being asked to serve “unofficially” as an assistant chaplain at the neighborhood fire station. (Contrary to the rest of France, Marseilles’ fire department is directed and manned by the French army. Firemen are called marins pompiers: naval firemen.) His post will be unofficial because our church does not belong to the Federation of Protestant Churches. But that was not an insurmountable obstacle, as the officers in charge know Philippe and appreciate his work.
I have been immersed these past few weeks in John 6, a surprisingly deep text which ushers us directly into the presence and the mind of the Christ, the Bread of Life come down from Heaven. How could anybody not want this to be true?? Peter had it right: To whom else would we go? May God grant us to find in this Bread daily nourishment for our souls.
Max and Prisca
February 2008
Dauner News Update March 4, 2008
Revelation Premiere Fills Chapel
Eighty people attended the first public showing on February 28 of the multimedia presentation The Apocalypse of Saint John. Sixty of those present were visitors, including six priests, a retired professor of surgery from a French Catholic university and a number of lay leaders from neighboring catholic parishes.
Revelation contains too much raw divine truth to leave people indifferent. Most of the audience was completely awed by the story of Christ’s victory over the satanic forces arrayed against the early Church. Their enthusiastic reception augures well for future opportunities to show the DVD in the Marseilles diocese. A few visitors were in a state of shock. In their view, God is too nice to judge anybody at all and would never use violent means to oppose the unrepentant wicked.
Teen Mission Trip to Naples
My coworkers Craig and Kathy Young, along with Lausanne missionaries Brady and Stephanie Smith, led a group of young people (our CEM students, the Marseilles teen group and several teens from the Lille, Lausanne and Geneva churches) on a one-week mission trip to Naples, Italy, during the semester break in February. The southern Italian city is in the middle of a long-running garbage collectors’ strike, but that did not keep the zealous young ambassadors for Christ from carrying out their work: tract distribution, public concerts, visits to orphans’ homes and rest homes as well as various service projects. They were even allowed to present a program of song and skits in a public school.
Accomodations for the Franco-Swiss group were furnished by the members of the small Napolitan church, strengthening the ties that already unite the churches of these two large Mediterranean Sea ports.
Halyna Dudar Passes On
After a long and courageous struggle with cancer, our sister in the Marseilles church Halyna Dudar passed away on February 12. Funeral services were held by Philippe at our chapel on Tuesday, February 19. Halyna was survived by three sons : Oleg (who lives in Spain), Constantine (17) and Alexandre (10).
The very day of Halyna’s death, we received notice from the Childrens’ Court that we have been awarded custody of young Alexandre until January 2009. This judgment is subjet to review and renewal at that time. Alexandre’s biological father has said he will initiate a legal procedure to gain custody of his son. With his well-documented history of domestic violence, alcoholism and psychiatric disorders, it is unlikely that he will win his case. However, his resentment against the church (which protected his family from his violence) may incite the court to place Alexandre in a State institution or with a non-Christian family.
Hutchinson Family to Leave Marseilles
Garth and Diana Hutchinson, who helped found the Marseilles church and have worked tirelessly in France for 18 years, have officially announced their plans to move the the United States in August 2008. Their departure will leave a gaping hole in the mission team and in our lives; it would be hard to find closer friends and more trustworthy coworkers. Their decision was motivated by family responsibilities, which is all to their honor. Garth has already found employment with a Christian-owned construction company in New Jersey and has plans to also work part-time with a local church.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Max and Prisca
January 2008
Dauner News Update January 31, 2008
Marseilles Church Co-hosts Prayer Meeting for Unity
On January 25, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Chapel of Fuveau Church of Christ organized, in conjunction with a nearby catholic parish, an evening of prayer centered on Jesus’ own request : “I pray that all of them may be one.” The program including Scripture readings, hymns, silent and verbal prayers, and was presided over jointly by two local priests, Philippe and myself.
Over a hundred people attended the event, which took place in a 17th-century parish church located in a neighboring village. The initial reaction of the participants could hardly have been more positive; the beleagered state of the Christian faith in French society has impressed on believers the need to take more seriously the will of Jesus for his church. I fully trust that God will bless this first feeble effort and that it will bear fruit in new opportunities to announce the gospel in the neighborhood.
Multimedia Revelation Premiere Set for February 29
Leap Day comes around only once every four years. What is planned for Leap Day, 2008, is an event that will take place only once in the history of the Marseilles church : the public premiere of The Apocalypse of saint John. This 75-minute multimedia presentation — images, animation, narration and musical soundtrack — retraces all the visions of John’s revelation.
The purpose of this production is both evangelistic and pre-evangelistic. A video projection is easy to invite friends to, and the multimedia format corresponds to the way people learn nowadays, especially the younger generations.
Of course, a work on Revelation will appeal first of all to those who are already believers. But the general fascination with apocalyptic themes and with the long artistic tradition surrounding John’s visions will no doubt ensure that many unchurched people will let themselves be tempted to come.
French President Acknowledges Europe’s Christian Heritage
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out in support of recognizing “the Christian roots of Europe.” At a meeting of his political party, the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, Sarkozy said that leaders of the European Union were wrong to exclude an explicit reference to Christianity from the language of the proposed EU constitutional treaty. (The French voters rejected that treaty in a 2005 referendum.)
“We erred when we turned our back on the past, and in a certain sense turned our back on our roots, which are obvious,” Sarkozy said. The French leader stated that without a basis in Christian culture, the European Union will have no firm foundation.“If we reject our past, we are not ready for our future.”
Sarkozy has recently come under heavy criticism from the political establishment for his repeated remarks about the benefits of religious belief and practice for civil society. His endorsement of a policy that moderates the aggressively secularizing stance of the French state has earned him accusations of “wanting to reinstate the Inquisition”.
As I begin my 37th year of ministry in France, Prisca and I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have stood behind and with us. Your interest, prayers, moral and financial support have warmed our hearts and held up our arms over the years. It is an honor for us to serve the Master with you.
May the Father bless you and grant you his everlasting peace.
Max and Prisca
December 2007
Dauner News Update December 24, 2007
It’s Christmas Eve. Prisca and I wish you all a holiday season aglow with joy, not just from all the human delights it brings, but from the divine light that flooded our world when it was visited two thousand years ago by the Son of God. May God bless you in Him and make us ever more conformed to his image.
The month of December was punctuated by three performances of our Christmas pageant Noël en Provence. This hour-long musical play recounts the story of Jesus’ birth as if it had taken place in the Provence region of southern France. That is, the characters were dressed in 18th-century French garb and spoke with a Marseilles accent, with some of the dialogue and song delivered in the traditional Provençal dialect. The three neighborhood churches where the play was performed — our own chapel, a catholic parish and an evangelical Protestant church — were filled to capacity. About 400 people in all attended the event, which featured concerts by the Harmony Chorale and our recently formed Teen Chorus, as well as a gospel sermon presented by Philippe.
The purpose of this production is profoundly evangelistic, targeting not only the audience but also the thirty-five children and teens who make up the cast and who are regular students of our weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible club. Even avowed atheists admitted how powerfully the gospel message came through, and everyone appreciated how the familiar story was told in a fresh way, adapted to the local culture.
The practicing believers in the audience, including priests, nuns and pastors, were most impressed by our teens: not only how disciplined and well-rehearsed they were, but how obviously sincere their faith was. The public education system has almost guaranteed that by the time they reach high school, French teenagers are immune to religious belief and essentially cynical about a higher meaning to life. Our teens are far from perfect — shepherding them is a full-time job — but they presently represent the most dynamic age group in the church. Thank God for them, and pray He will preserve them from the world.
Our three CEM students had a great first trimester. You can read or download their English-language newsletter at faxbymax.net. I have also added, by popular demand, seven photos, one for each of the seven churches of Asia, from our November trip to Turkey.
Max and Prisca Dauner
November 2007
Dauner News Update November 16, 2007
FUVEAU CHAPEL CELEBRATES TENTH ANNIVERSARY
On November 10-11, the Marseilles church celebrated its tenth year at our location on Fuveau Avenue. The weekend included a ten-hour prayer vigil, potluck dinners and an evening of open-house fellowship for our neighbors in the local community. About a hundred people came to view a multimedia history of the Fuveau Chapel and to hear the Gospel proclaimed in song. It was the first official performance of the newly formed Teen Chorale.
The most moving experience was listening to the testimonials of about twenty-five of our members who recounted how they had come to be in the church or how the church had led them to the Christ.
MARIAGE SEMINAR
In October, the Marseilles church hosted a week-long mariage seminar presented byArlin and Pamela Hendrix of Lyon. The sessions were attended by about fifty people, including three couples from the neighborhood as well as a good number of older teens.
NEW CEMIST MAKES THREE
Our two CEM students, Raphël Enderlé and Justin Smith, were joined this month by Linda Allebe, niece of former CEM student Nicole Allebe. Linda is no stranger to the Marseilles church; this is where she was baptized several years ago during a CEM Summer Session. Her home congregation is in Lyon, France.
CHURCH WELCOMES FORMER MUSLIM
Sabrina, a young French lady of Berber origin, placed membership with the church last Sunday. This makes four adult members from the Berber community. On any given Sunday, we have about ten to twelve Muslims or former Muslims in the assembly.
JUDGE GRANTS PARENTAL AUTHORITY
You may be aware that Prisca and I are seeking to become the legal guardians of the two sons of church member Halyna Dudar, who is in the final stages of a terminal illness. On October 23, the Children’s Judge for our district ruled in favor of granting us parental authority over the older of the two boys, Constantin, 17. The case for Alexander, 10, will be more complicated since his father is still living, even though he will no doubt be declared unfit to have custody of his son. Halyna, who is presently hospitalized, is praying that Alexander will not become a ward of the State, which would mean he would be cut off from all contact with the church.
MAX AND PRISCA VISIT SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA
For our thirtieth wedding anniversary, our family and Christian friends chipped in to offer us an exceptional gift: a second-honeymoon trip to anywhere in the world… as long as it was a Biblical country. Many of our friends knew that Prisca had been dreaming for thirty years of visiting the seven churches of Revelation. So we spent the Fall Semester Break in Turkey visiting the ancient cities of Pergamum, Smyrna, Ephesus, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Sardis and Thyatira. A week of archeological sites and museums.
Of course, that means I will have to incorporate some new pictures in my multimedia presentation of Revelation!
NEW PHOTOS
Be sure to see the new photos posted on my English language website faxbymax.net
May the Lord shine his face upon you.
Max and Prisca Dauner
September 07
Dauner News Update September 27, 2007
CHURCH YEAR NUMBER 10 OFF TO A RUNNING START
The Fuveau Chapel Church of Christ embarked this month on its tenth year of existence with a reprise of most of the outreach activities through which we have made known the name of the Christ in our neighborhood. Here is a brief overview.
1. CEM (Christians on Mission)
The ninth class of our discipleship training program is composed of two young men of very different backgrounds. The first, Justin Smith, 19, of Lausanne, Switzerland, is the son of long-time missionaries Brady and Stephanie Smith and plans to continue theological training in the U. S. after his internship in Marseilles. Justin had an excellent scholastic career in high school and is, according to all reports, a gifted camp counselor. The second student is… Raphaël Enderlé ! A brand new convert from Marseilles, Raphaël, 18, has been more visibly transformed by Jesus than just about anyone I have ever seen. CEM will be a great and wonderful challenge for his soul.
2. SENIOR RETREAT
Last September, I was ready to pull the plug on this three-day retreat for senior citizens at the Bonnefoi Center because of decreasing attendance. But the number of participants more than doubled (from 7 to 15) and the event seems to be attracting more and more interest. Heureusement ! (a good thing), as we say in French. It is by far the most unhurried and spiritually refreshing retreat we sponsor.
3. ADO-RATION
With the preteens graduating to teenage-hood and with several new faces from nearby schools, the teen group has grown to over 20 members. A new Teen Choral Group began rehearsals this week, and a teen mission trip is being planned for February.
4. CHILD EVANGELISM
Two other regular programs, Club Cool (primary school) and Foi en Folie (10-12 year-olds), were also bursting at the seams as they began the year’s activities. Diana Hutchinson has scheduled three concerts featuring Harmony Chorale and the youth chorus for the month of December.
Three other subjects deserve mention, even though they are yet future at the writing of this update. Please pray that the holy intentions and hopes we have for them may be accomplished:
1. A meeting with the men of the congregation, to explore how they can become as active in serving the church as their female counterparts.
2. An eight-session seminar on marriage presented by Arlin and Pamela Hendrix of Lyon (October 7, 13, 14). The interest is high for this timely topic, and it will be a great occasion to introduce people to the church and to bring them along further in their spiritual walk.
3. It appears that two neighboring catholic parishes will ask me to take responsibility for their weekly Bible study groups. This is a measure of the growing recognition in the community of our role as authentic voices of Christian truth.
May God give you true joy in his Son and grant that you see his purposes carried out in your life.
Max and Prisca Dauner
August 07
Dauner News Update August 27, 2007
VISIT TO NORTH AMERICAN SENDING TEAM
It gave us great joy to visit and spend time with at least most of you--churches, families and individuals--whose sacrificial generosity has kept us active and well supplied for our mission in France:
The Central Church of Christ in Topeka, Kansas Everett Dauner of Topeka Marlon Dauner of Wichita, Kansas Littleton Church of Christ in Colorado Darrel and René Vanhooser in Aurora, Colorado Graton Church of Christ, California Mountain View Church of Christ, California Art and Val Fleming, Beamsville, Ontario, Canada Beamsville Church of Christ, Ontario, Canada
Thank you all, too numerous to name, who received us so warmly and made our short stay a time of spiritual refreshment. A special thanks to
Everett Dauner, Rick and Jennifer Mastalka, Tony and Gloria Pires, Helen Nelson, Darrel and René Vanhooser, Art and Val Fleming,
for putting us up in your homes. Your loving care went well beyond the offices of mere hospitality. It was all more than we deserved.
Although your part in the French mission is mostly behind the scenes, it is no less essential. Just like front-line soldiers in the military, no missionary can function in the field without a lot of people behind him. Rambos and Lone Rangers are extremely rare in the army of Jesus Christ.
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH…
Both the CEM Summer Session and 2007 Harmony Bible Camp were effective in publicly communicating the gospel message. The Summer Session was highlighted by a three-hour a cappella concert presented by Harmony Chorale and Agapé-lla (singing group from the Paris Church of Christ) at the 25th Gospel Music Festival in a suburb of Marseilles. There was hardly a emtpy seat in the outdoor theater, which holds 800!
127 campers and 41 staff members attended the two-week Bible Camp organized around the theme of the exodus and the entry into the Promised Land. Three young people were baptized, including Marseilles youth group member Raphael Enderlé, whose parents had made him wait for his baptism til he was legally an adult (18th birthday).
May God shine his face upon you this coming month and bless the new church year that has begun.
Max and Prisca Dauner