Lyon, France

We are the sponsoring congregation for Charles & Pam White in Lyon, France. The Whites have been serving in France for over 30 years. They first worked in Grenoble, before joining the work in Lyon some 20 years ago.

Though France is considered, along with most of Western Europe, to be a very hard mission field, the French still need to hear the gospel. Through persistence and a long-term commitment, the Lyon church of Christ is a solid congregation of about 30 members in the 2nd largest city of France.

We invite you to read the latest newsletter describing the Lyon effort: June 2010 pdf

The City

Lyon, founded in 43 B. C. during the reign of Julius Caesar, is today France’s second population center (1.5 million) and one of its most dynamic cities. Sitting at the head of the Rhone Valley, it was the capital of Gaul during all the Roman era, and, during the middle ages, the banking capital of Europe. During the Renaissance, the stock market, bank checks and letters of credit were invented in Lyon. With the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, Lyon became (and is still today) the headquarters of the primate of the Gauls, highest ranking official of the French Catholic Church. Until the French Revolution in 1789, Lyon was the center of the European silk industry, with 60,000 weavers. Even today, her fine silk is used by royalty and the White House. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the sewing machine, the hot-air balloon, the steamboat and moving pictures were all invented in Lyon. Modern Lyon is a World Heritage City, an international center of banking, commerce and research at the crossroads of Europe, within two hours from Paris, one hour forty-five minutes from Marseilles and one hour thirty minutes from Geneva, all by the TGV, the rapid French train. If you haven’t seen Lyon, you haven’t been to France!

The Church

The Lord’s Church in Lyon goes all the way back to the 1st and 2nd centuries, when there was a large number of New Testament Christians in the city. These Christians were decimated by pagan persecution at the end of the 2nd century. The modern assembly was inaugurated in 1975. Many who have been converted in Lyon have moved elsewhere, and some have become unfaithful. The rest remain, however, in a core of faithful who continue to labor for the Lord. Though the Church in France is about 150 years behind the development of the Church in the States, and though there is at present in France a general climate of indifference to biblical faith, there are still good hearts willing to hear and to accept the Good News. The Church holds regular “visitors’ days”, presents public Bible studies and seminars, meets for “round table” discussions and participates regularly in teen and family retreats. It has a monthly “pot luck” meal and meets weekly for prayer. It gives clothes regularly to organized charities and has recently organized a group to sing in hospitals and other medical care facilities. The first priority of the Church in Lyon is to worship God and be faithful to Him. Next, the members make every effort to get the Word out to as many people as possible. Then, they work hard to teach and train every new Christian for a life of worship and service. We pray that the Church in Lyon may be a strong base from which the Church in France will grow and multiply, until the Lord comes!

Whites’ mailing address:

6 Impasse Millon
69100 Villerbanne
Lyon, France

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