FM Area Rep Eirwyn Vaughan reports on his visit to the Perspectives church in Pontivy
Paniers packed full to the brim, I set off from home to the nearest train station on Anglesey. The overnight Plymouth ferry delivered me to Roscoff early morning on Friday 30th August. The plan was to reach Pontivy on the Saturday evening in good time for the Sunday morning service. However, I hadn’t made allowances for the social café stops, some navigational errors, and of course the obligatory sightseeing. Therefore, I ended up camping the second night 15 miles short of Pontivy. That night we had a violent storm and heavy rain for hours – which meant a lot to sort out in the morning!
I’ve never raced on a bike to get to church before. I got there by around 11am but was gladdened to see the open door and hear the saints still singing. The time of open prayer was a real blessing. There was a very memorable message about unity within the church. Post-service fellowship was also very welcoming: apart from the endless supply of good coffee and tasty cakes, I had the chance to speak at length with the three of the church leaders.
The church is doing well, although without a pastor since Nicolas & Lydie Engel moved on to Auray to work on the new church-plant there. Two people were recently baptised, one 39 the other 59 years young! The church was also fully involved in the 2024 Olympics-related event called ENSEMBLE, which saw churches and other associations organising a fun-filled activities day for the less well-off people of Pontivy.
I share the view of my fellow FM supporter, Sally Rotheray, in the article she wrote for the last issue: there’s nothing quite like visiting a French church and talking with its leaders to stimulate our prayers. It was so good to be able to address the congregation very briefly after the service to tell them that I pray for Pontivy church most Sunday mornings.
