iConnect Paris is back!

[Note from Paul Cooke: Lauricia is one of the GBU Relay Workers (Groupes Bibliques Universitaires: French university Christian Unions) France Mission was able to support last year.]

International Student Ministry started for the GBU in Paris in 2016. We call it iConnect. The vision is to connect international students with French Christian students. The idea is that international students can discover the Bible and faith in Jesus Christ and then become witnesses for God in their own country. Last year, as I shared in one of France Mission’s Zoom prayer meetings, there were three teams in France: in Nancy, Lyon and Rennes, but not in Paris. This year, I’m delighted to announce that iConnect have a new team for Paris!

In 2023-24, France welcomed around 430,000 international students, and 35% of them were in the Paris region. So it was important for us to have a team to reach them. This year, I’m a part-time staff worker for this ministry in Paris. For now, the team is composed of an African PhD student and me. Another student, French, is thinking about joining us. We may have the help of the English group at our events as they receive some of the international students in their group.

For this semester we’d like to organise one event per month, with the twin aims of introducing international students to GBU and also creating a space where they can meet French students and build friendships with them. Please pray for opportunities to share our faith at these events. Please also pray for their organisation, especially the Christmas event which will take a lot of our time. We’d like to offer international students who can’t go home for the holiday the opportunity of spending time with French families.

Please pray for me to find more supporters. I should have started on a 50% contract but, due to lack of support, I can currently only work at 30%. But praise the Lord for the rebirth of the iConnect team and the opportunity to use French culture to share His Word. Thank you very much!