Marc Mailloux's Blog

Dear friends,

A member of the missions committee of one of our erstwhile supporting churches called recently to inform us that they would be dropping us from their support roles as they wanted to concentrate more on evangelism of un-reached peoples whereas our primary focus was teaching Christians.    Naturally, we regret their decision.  We certainly believe in the importance of evangelization.  But experience has convinced us that a good (the best?) way to extend the Kingdom is through the strengthening of the believers whose solidified faith can more effectively impact the non-believing world. Indeed this seems implied from the fact that the only verb in the imperative from in the Lord’s Great Commission in Mat.28 is the command to “make disciples”.

In any case, we’ve been doing some serious thinking about our role in the Lord’s Great Commission since we came back from France ten years ago, where our ministry was mostly evangelism amongst the mostly unresponsive continental French. We didn’t make a lot of French disciples nor does anyone in a country where, for decades, yea centuries, it’s been slim pickings in the Lord’s harvest.

A convoluted set of circumstances led us to S. Florida where there are some ½ million French speakers including hundreds of thousands of Québeçois who, in less than a generation, have overwhelmingly rejected traditional Roman Catholicism and regressed to  materialism since the late 1960’s.  I soon discovered that, between the evangelistic radio broadcasts, teaching in the Haitian Bible school, preparing lessons for the isles, and even Wednesday afternoon pétanque with my French buddies, I could go through the whole week here without speaking English.

Some pedagogical experience acquired, we began—in accordance of MIA’s vision for Caribbean discipleship—excursions to the French-speaking isles (St. Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe etc.) in 2001 where we discovered that there are thousands of believers in assemblies often shepherded by men with little or no theological training where legalisms and superstitions tend to undermine the doctrines of grace.   From the outset, the amazing receptiveness to our modest teaching efforts was an inescapable testimony to their spiritual hunger as well as a wake-up call for us with regards to our vocation. We wonder about the implications of Luke 9:5 (”If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town as a testimony against them…”).

It’s not that we’ve entirely abandoned our original vocation for continental France. In fact, we’ll be filling-in for a French pastor in Marseille again this summer. What’s more, the cross-pollination between the French overseas “départements” and the mainland is significant as Antilleans visit family on the continent quite frequently. Meanwhile, there are about a million French-speaking folk on seven Caribbean islands but no seminary or Bible school of any kind.  Could we abandon them?

Consider the situation of Robert T., one of our devoted students from Basse Pointe, a small town in the north of Martinique.  He works full-time (6AM—2PM) for the highway department, helps his wife M-Claude with their four daughters, and is also full-time pastor of a church of some 150 people in the nearby town of Ajoupa Bouillon.  The care of the church was virtually thrust upon him when his brother, the acting pastor, left the island to go to Bible school in Paris for three years of instruction—five years ago!  As most often happens, the brother and his family have taken root on the continent and don’t plan to return to Martinique.  Robert, a godly man with a real heart for the flock but no theological training, feels overwhelmed by the task of feeding the Lord’s sheep.  He has been an avid student of our classes for almost four years and wants the IONA program to continue indefinitely!    His case is not unique.

A couple of students [Marie L. and Francois D.] in our class in Guadeloupe commented how they were learning to enjoy their Bible reading now that they understood who Pharisees and Sadducees were, and what Jewish  Passover and Pentecost were about. Why didn’t their pastor teach them before, one might ask?  It’s simple.  He didn’t know himself.  

The couple were equally thrilled to learn some church history: the elaboration of the doctrine of Christ at the early church councils; the struggles with the Arian heresy; the clericalism of the medieval church and the circumstances leading up to the reformation. It’s nothing that any seminary student hasn’t learned, but not, alas, most of the pastors in the islands.

Now we’ve started a course in apologetics for a growing group of Haitian students in St. Martin, most of whom haven’t even a clue about the evolutionary theory their children are being taught through the local school system. The enthusiasm of the new students joining the group is inspiring.

The bottom line is that you and I have  been privileged by our Christian heritage unlike our less fortunate brethren the isles (and even N. Africa where I’ll be teaching for a week this summer) where biblical education is a rare luxury.  It behooves us to share (à la 2 Tim.2:2) what we have with those eager to learn. With your help, we’ll continue in this work until the Lord shows us clearly otherwise.  We’re grateful for those who persevere with us in this goal.                                                                                       

In His Service,

Marc Mailloux

Praise:

1-A blessed trip to Martinique (June 2-9)
2-Most encouraging responses to the excellent apologetic film, “The Perfect Stranger” circulating amongst our French friends.
3-Continued provision for our ministry.

Prayer:

1-St. Martin Apologetics classes (July 2-9)
2- Marseille pastoral ministry (preaching and visits)  (July 19-Aug.19)
3-Tunisia teaching (homiletics—not my specialty) (Aug.19-25)
4- Spiritual and temporal welfare of unemployed pilot son Calix