BMS mission team in Saint-Malo during Easter

Baptist Missionary Society (BMS)'s first-ever Association Team spend their time in France this Easter. It is in Saint-Malo, a port town located on France's north west coast. They are reaching out with the gospel in new ways to save many souls.

The team arrived in France, they will stay there until 18 April. During this time, the group will be involved in a mission to further promote the work of the Baptist church.

For the last three years, Mark and Ruth have been building up their ministry in Saint-Malo through Alpha courses, cell groups and social occasions. The Association Team will be building on this, and also reaching out to other groups in the town, as well as tourists.

The team is firstly helping to redecorate the church's front window, to make it stand out more from the street. The building will then be open to the public for the two-week Easter holiday period. This year's BMS Easter resources are based on how Jesus is transforming the lives of people in Saint-Malo.

They help serve coffee and show the Miracle Maker video each day. This animated film about Jesus will be shown, Mark and Ruth hoped that it would be well received by French people since comics (like Asterix and Tintin) are very popular in France.

The team is preparing to be flexible as other opportunities for evangelism present themselves. There would be Passover meal as well as a couple of games evenings. Some market stalls were set up to advertise the churchs Alpha course, too.

The previous Alpha course held in Saint-Malo has been followed by a baptism course. Some have the intention of being baptised; others simply want to know more. There has been lots of questioning and opening up from people, which is encouraging.

This spring, the Warners launched a new Alpha course in nearby Dinan. A cell group was started there last year, but didn't really develop, so it is hoped Alpha will provide a platform for people to come to and grow in their faith.

The opportunities for the Warners are tremendous, despite Baptists being in the minority in the region. Saint-Malo is a bustling port and is becoming a sought-after place to live, with the arrival of the TGV (ultra-fast train) planned for the end of 2005.