Laura Hillman Writes |
When we decided to retire to Brittany in September 1999 a big question mark was " What shall we do about Church?". Our local French priest was most welcoming but somehow we did not feel part of the congregation. Robin had been a Reader for 35 years although most of his recent ministry had been in the confines of the chapel of the school where he was a housemaster. It seemed unlikely that there would be much opportunity to exercise his preaching talents in 'la France profonde.' Imagine our surprise and delight , therefore , when we heard that a certain Revd. Roger Fray and his wife Beri, also a Reader, from Grove ( in the Oxford Diocese where we were living) would be moving to Morbihan at about the same time as ourselves and that they were hoping to start up an Anglican church at La Chappelle Caro about 50 minutes drive from our home. The early days of Sunday communion services in the Fray's living room were very exciting as more and more people ( not always the same ones each week) found their way, sometimes with difficulty down the muddy lane leading to Le Lesnot. We felt much as the early Church must have done, meeting in ordinary homes and breaking bread together. Thanks to Roger and Beri's hospitality shared lunches have become a regular feature when the fellowship of the service is carried on around the meal table. After the first year, the move to a room at Ploermel provided by the La Mennais brothers meant that valuable contacts were made with the religious community and other local Christians. We were thrilled when over 70 people attended a service in French and English during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January this year. Although the main part of our Christian work and witness is with other English speakers we draw strength from the presence of our Roman Catholic neighbours and look forward to the time when we shall enjoy full inter-communion. Meanwhile Christ Church Brittany, acts as a focal point for English speaking Christians, not all of whom are Anglican. Our witness spreads into the scattered communities in which we live and we are encouraged by the existence of groups in Guerlesquin and Nantes. Through our contacts at church we feel part of a strong fellowship and are better equipped to help our fellow ex-pats, many of whom have problems adjusting to life in a foreign country, as well as our French neighbours. An Alpha course in the Spring of 2001 and the resulting home groups have helped to anchor our faith in this locality where by God's grace, we shall continue to live and witness for some time to come. We draw strength from the opportunity to partake in Holy Communion week by week and the chance to use our gifts in a 'parochial' setting albeit an atypical one. Living in mainland Europe gives us a different perspective and we feel much more a part of the world-wide Anglican community than we did before. In this we are greatly helped by our contacts in The Diocese in Europe and with ICS. Attendance at the latter's annual conference in Holland last year was a source of inspiration and fellowship, giving as it did the chance to meet and pray with Christians living and working all over Europe and further afield. 'For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water..... a land where bread shall not be scarce and you will lack for nothing....' Deuteronomy 8:7 and 9 Laura Hillman Bubry February 2002 |