Dauner News Update December 2008
Evangelistic Musical Play
Noel in Provence is our own unabashedly evangelistic version of an old Christmas tradition in the south of France: the “crèche vivante” or living nativity scene. The full-length musical play tells the story of Jesus’s birth as if the events recorded in the Gospels had taken place in nineteenth-century Provence. It drives home the message that “Jesus was born in your country in order to be born in your heart”.
This year’s production featured 38 young performers, ages 3 to 19, each of whom is involved in one or another of our various youth groups. The chapel was once again filled to the brim. A good many of those who came were returnees from previous concerts, but for most of the audience, it was their first visit to the church.
For us, the highlight of the evening was the message presented by Raphaël Enderlé, 19, a recent convert and graduate of CEM. “Three years ago, I was sitting on a pew just like you are tonight. [With spiked hair and leather coat.] I had come only to see my sister in the play. I had no interest at all in religion. But then I got caught up in the story of Jesus and let myself be persuaded by its truth. It is because of Him I am here before you today and urge you also to let yourself be persuaded by the truth of Christ.”
A second performance of Noel in Provence is scheduled for January 17 in a nearby catholic parish church.
Long-awaited Baptism
It is with great joy that we announce the long-awaited baptism, on December 19, of Khaled Hassani, a Berber from Algeria whom we met some eight years ago and who has been attending church services and receiving Christian teaching for several years. During this time, Khaled had become a beloved friend of the Marseille church members. Although strongly attracted to the Christ, he always hesitated at the threshold of conversion, until he finally concluded that even the Koran points to Jesus as God’s Son.
One turning point was a visit to his native village this fall and his first-hand experience of the Christian Gospel explosion among ethnic Berber Muslims. Khaled is a good exemple of the need for patience in evangelism. He confided that if we had, in the past, pressed him to be baptized, he would have accepted just to make us happy, but that he can now act out of full conviction.
Khaled’s wife Djédjiga, an ethnic Berber with French citizenship, and their three small children all regularly attend our program of Bible classes.
Looking Back…
In some respects, the year 2008 has been a hard one for Prisca and me. The Marseille church was tossed and shaken by various storms, the least of which was not the departure of our beloved coworkers Garth and Diana Hutchinson. In addition, we took on the added responsability of two foster sons.
But even the storms, great or small, are in Christ’s hands. Out of the turmoil, He brought about a grace that I was despairing of ever seeing: an unprecedented solidarity among our members and an unprecedented level of their active participation in the work of the church. For this we bless God and hope that it will be an encouragement for all of you who have so faithfully and generously supported our mission in France.
Max and Prisca Dauner