This week we are praying for the Eglise Evangélique in Aurillac (Pastor Arnaud and Delphine Devilliers).

This church is located in Aurillac, France situated in the Cantal department (15). Allier has only 4 Evangelical Churches for 147,000 people.

Please sign this petition and let hem know we're praying for them!

AREA PROFILE

Located in the southern part of the Auvergne Region, Cantal Department has a total population of 147,000 with 255 towns, the least populated Department in all of France. Residents, known as Cantaliens or Cantalous historically spoke the Occitan language. Aurillac, pop. of 25,000, serves as Cantal’s capital city and home to Église Evangelique. It is also the capital city most further away from a major highway, so it is quite isolated from the rest of France and its own region. It does, though, have an airport with 2 daily flights to Paris.

Geographically, the Cantal Department consists of extinct volcanic peaks which cover most of the department. Tourists gather in Aurillac to venture into its spectacular mountainous scenery with breathtaking views, explore the Volcanic Regional Nature Park, go white water rafting, and more. It is known for over 5 cheeses and two regional cows: Salers and Aubrac breeds of cattle. However, Aurillac and its surrounding areas have also become home to several industries, and can boast of supplying France with most of its umbrellas.

By delving into Aurillac’s religious history, we gain greater spiritual understanding of the city and its area. Dating back to the Gallic era, Aurillac’s recorded history actually begins 856. By 885, a Catholic abbey was built and later the first Pope of France studied at this abbey. Later during the 13th and 14th centuries, Aurillac withstood several sieges by the English. In the 16th Century, Aurillac became caught between civil and religious wars. During the Protestant reformation period, in 1569, the city was delivered “by treason” to the Protestants and people were tortured and held ransom. The Abbey was sacked and the library and archives were all burned. Again, in spite of a tumultuous history, we see a French community determined to rebuild and remain strong together, overcoming the numerous unfortunate conflicts.

CHURCH PROFILE

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Eglise-%C3%A9vang%C3%A9lique-dAurillac-ADD-933806219967424/

Pastoral Couple: Arnaud and Delphine Devilliers

Priorities of Church

Because the church does not have a formal website, a complete picture of the church’s life and priorities are not as evident. However, on the church’s Facebook page, the pastor posts almost daily and upon reading his posts, viewing the photos, and videos, Pastor Arnaud’s passion, vision, heart, and priorities become clear to the reader. We will attempt to do him justice through our interpretation of the church’s priorities through his words. If we met him today, we would see someone in love with Jesus, his family, his community, and those who have not yet come into relationship with Jesus Christ.

1. Sold out devotion to Jesus. This is evident throughout Pastor Arnaud’s postings and the music and poems he has written. One of his recent postings read like a prophetic word to the church at large, not just his congregation, to get out of complacency and compromise with the world, to rise up and take the good fight of faith, to get out of the comfort zone, so that the Kingdom of God can come in its fullness in the believer’s life and in the world.
2. Intimacy with Jesus through prayer and intercession – Intimate Prayer life of all saints. The pastor invites all to come and intercede a half hour before each Sunday morning service at 9:30 am. To quote Pastor Arnaud: “When a local church re-finds the path to prayer, she finds who walks on that path: Jesus Christ….”
3. Building a Family, a Community of the believers, including avenues to disciple. The church gathers Tuesday and Friday evenings at 7:30 pm and every Sunday at 10 am (GMT). In various photos and videos, the church hosts Christian movie night, worship times and other special events to gather people and their children together in Christ-centered activity and fun.
   
4. Being Relevant in today’s High Tech world. This is apparent by the creativity in video productions, poetic song writing, worship, and social media approach to reaching the world. This indicates a flexibility and willingness to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ outside normal traditional methods which is needed to penetrate and soften hearts towards Christ.

A Few Prayer Points

1. Pray for the pastoral couple and their 4 children: That they, too, would be nurtured and refreshed as they nurture and build up the body of Christ around them. Pray for divine protection over their health and finances, so that they will always have more than enough for every good work that God has prepared in advance for them to walk in. That they would never feel isolated or lonely in their work in furthering the Kingdom of God in the Cantal Department. That God would send them more co-laborers to bring encouragement, guidance, and wisdom, and loyal friendship as they faithfully serve Him in this sparsely populated area. Pray for grace for their children as they grow up in a secular culture, keeping them pure in heart, and grounded in their own walks with the Lord all the days of their lives. Grant Pastor Arnaud and Delphine Your eyes to see Your Perspective, to see what You are doing, Lord, so that they may join in with what You are doing in their midst. Jesus did only what He saw the Father do, so reveal Your plans to Pastor Arnaud.
   
2. Pray for their current congregational members and their families: That they would not grow faint in well doing, nor, become stagnant in their faith, laying hold of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and running the race with perseverance. That the Holy Spirit would breathe the winds of revival upon them and in their city. For their practical needs of health and financial provision, and divine protection in their going and their coming.
   
3. Pray for a breakthrough in the number of people who truly are seeking and hungering to know Jesus, that God would begin drawing people to Himself as this congregation goes about their daily routine, for divine appointments to increase, for creative means to reach into their city and the tourists that You send across their path. Broaden this church’s influence and impact in this region with Your anointing of love and joy that breaks the yokes and bring freedom to many.