Chad & Kim and their baby!

See below for a message from Chad and Kim Deakyne:

Dear friends and family,

On August 15, 2007, Pavel Alan Deakyne was born! It seems already as if he has been a part of our family for years…

Pavel has changed and developed enormously in his first four months! He rolls himself over occasionally, he reaches for his toys regularly, and he offers smiles freely. He has brought great joy to our little flat! Margot the cat, however, has grown restless with jealousy…she is currently biting at the wires beneath the desk where I type.

L’Abri has also changed and developed so much in the last four months! The “launch team” has been meeting twice a week for planning and prayer, our new small group designed as an introduction to the Christian faith is growing, and we have been holding worship services once a month since September! Tell us what you think of the new website for the church at: www.labri-sqy.org .

Culte d’Inauguration: Beginning on Sunday, January 27, 2008, l’Abri will hold public worship services once a month! We have been preparing for this step for months and now everything is falling into place: the room where we will be holding the service is ready, the various responsibilities have been divided up amongst the members of the team, and we have friends who are eager to participate. As you can imagine, the team has had some lively discussions about these upcoming worship services; conversations about the style of music, the liturgy, the sermon, the “look” of the room, etc. We are currently working through the final list of tasks to accomplish before the big day in January: design invitations for our friends, decorate the sanctuary (plants and paintings), prepare Sunday School for the children, etc. If time remains, we plan to gather the guys from the youth group in Magny-les-Hameaux in order to build a pulpit together.

Les 7 Soirées: As we mentioned in our last letter, we have started a new small group that serves as an introduction to the essentials of the Christian faith. In order to vary the teaching style, we have integrated into our study various examples, both classic and popular, of the seven art forms. We have already completed three of the seven sessions and the group is growing. Kimberly and I hosted the first session and used a poem of Victor Hugo and a few works of Michelangelo in order to deepen our understanding of the Genesis account of Creation. Our teammates, Baptiste and Emilie Margaillan hosted the second evening on the Fall and did a wonderful job leading the discussion into the wee hours of the night. And finally, just last week, the group returned to our flat for the third session on Redemption. While I was a bit disappointed with my presentation, the essential was communicated and the response was positive. The high point of the evening was probably the discussion on a particular scene from Schindler’s List… Pray that this group would join us for worship on January 27th and would become the core group of the church.

Special need:
L’Abri would like to purchase a video projector and is now starting to gather the resources to do so. We have been able to borrow a projector from France V.I.E. (World Team France) up to this point, but because five different churches share the projector, it is becoming increasingly difficult to “reserve” when needed most. With the additional activities that we have started since September and the worship services beginning in January, we feel as though it is time to make this purchase.

Would you consider helping us with this investement? We are presently looking at a model that costs around 650 €uros (about $930 with the weak dollar). If you or your church is interested in making a "special financial gift" for the purchase of a video projector, please let Kimberly and I know. Financial gifts can be sent to World Team with a note explaining that they are to be used by Chad and Kimberly Deakyne for the purchase of a projector. While we plan to use the projector for the activities at l’Abri (worship services, Les 7 Soirées, film discussion nights), the projector would also be used for certain activities at the church in Magny-les-Hameaux.

2008 Paris Prayer Conference:
Our annual conference is designed as a short-term mission trip for those interested in partnering with France V.I.E. in prayer. Please contact us should your family or your church desire to participate in the 2008 conference (June 7-14). Now that we have helped to organize a few conferences in a row, we can confirm that there is no better way to understand and participate in our ministry, no better way to encourage the French Christians that welcomed us into their country. Look for the brochure that describes the conference attached to this e-mail…

Christmas and New Years:
Kimberly, Pavel, and I will be back in the States for the holidays…one week in Fort Wayne, IN, and one week in Philadelphia, PA! This short trip will give us the opportunity to present Pavel to those in the family who have not yet met him. Pray with us that the time change does not throw him off for the entirety of the trip!

Baptiste and Emilie Margaillan have recently finished a short video in order present their ministry and help them through the support raising process. If you would like to see their video (in English), follow the link on the right hand side of their web page: http://2coeurspourservir.free.fr .

Joyeux Noël et bonne année!
Chad, Kimberly, & Pavel Deakyne

Here's a montage of pictures: