Lord's Day at Emmanuel Bible Church

We thoroughly enjoyed spending Sunday, December 14, with the people of Emmanuel Bible Church in Mauldin, SC. I was invited to share our ministry to France during the Family Bible Hour and then preach during the morning worship service. We also enjoyed getting to know people better through the Sunday afternoon prayer service. Pastor Brad and Becky Baugham (friends from college days) were very warm and hospitable to us, and many people showed a genuine interest in our plans to go to France. We thank God for the encouraging and edifying Lord’s Day spent with the EBC family, and the opportunity to meditate with them during this Christmas season on the role that the Incarnation plays in the whole scheme of missions.

Remembering France's Heritage: The Death of Cardinal Richelieu

On this day (December 4) in 1642 Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu) died. He had served as France’s King Louis XIII’s “Chief Minister” or “First Minister” for nearly 20 years.

Richelieu is known today as a leading character and a main antagonist in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. He is also famous for his patronage of the arts; most notably, he founded the Académie Française, responsible for matters pertaining to the French language. Many avenues or boulevards in French cities are graced with his name.

Richelieu should be primarily remembered, however, as the one responsible for beginning the process of taking away the rights and privileges of the Reformed Church of France, the Huguenots. He left the finishing of the work to his successors, but he clearly set a pattern of deliberately destroying (through coercion and deception) the power of the Huguenots by removing their privileges one by one. The climax of the campaign he began was reached 43 years after his death when the first and greatest of the Edicts in favor of the Huguenots (the Edict of Nantes) was revoked by King Louis XIV.

According to the historian W. H. Foote, “Under the influence of Richelieu, more or less direct, the number of the Reformed pastors was lessened; the number of congregations greatly lessened, and some have supposed that the great body of the Huguenots, by death and exile, were diminished one half from the remains of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. Extortion, deception, falsehood, extravagance, selfishness and waste of human life under false pretences, consorted with his ideas of religion while living, and had his approbation when dying.”

The lack of Protestant witness in France today is in part the work of Richelieu. Leadership has consequences, even for the generations that follow.

Thanksgiving week with family and friends

We enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving weekend in North Carolina. We spent Thursday through Saturday with Ruth's parents at their home in Wake Forest, North Carolina. About 20 Pahnke relatives gathered for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday afternoon. We had a relaxing weekend eating, talking, walking through the woods, playing with the aunts and uncles, riding Papa's tractors around the farm, setting up the Christmas tree, reading and resting. We are grateful for our family.

Sunday, November 30, we spent with College Park Baptist Church of Cary, North Carolina. Pastors Matt Walker, Todd Carswell and the whole church family were very gracious to us. I was privileged to teach the adults in Sunday school and present our ministry to France in the evening service. Following the service, the church immediately voted to partner with us through regular financial support! That was the first time we had ever expereinced a church family partnering with us on the same day as our presentation. After the vote, everyone gathered around the map while I added a pin on Bordeaux, France. A prayer of dedication was then offered on our behalf. What an encouragement to have another supporting church! One more reason for us to give thanks during this season.