Southern France (French Riviera)

May 17-20 (Services Thursday through Sunday)
Thursday and Saturday nights we had evangelistic, outdoor presentations to non-church-goers with Alan Gage, who pastors a small Vineyard Fellowship in Nice, France. They were both held up in the hills (different locations), next to "perched villages," as they call them, and had nice turnouts at both locations. You could hear the sound echo through the hills, and neighbors even stopped in to see what was going on (Vineyard's intent). The people were blessed, and young people inspired to commit their lives to the purposes of the Kingdom---several even desiring to come to our center in Hungerford for training. (Pictures will follow soon).

May 18 & 20 in Toulon
On Friday night and Sunday morning we had services with Pastor Yannick and Christine Hellec in Toulon. What a church! Every time we go there we are so blessed, and blown away by the enthusiasm of the congregation. The church building is strategically located near the city center, and, aside from a parking problem, is an "oasis" in the midst of an unchurched society, presenting an effective evangelical, charismatic gospel message.

They always feed us after the services in a downstairs dining area, celebrating an apparent commitment to one another through fellowshipping by singing fun songs, telling stories, joking around and "passing the cup." Both services were a packed house, and they really relate to our music and testimonies. They just plain love StraightWay (flaws and all), and want to have us back every year. (Pictures coming)

May 19 in St. Tropez
If you haven't heard of St. Tropez, you must take the time to do a search for pictures, or, better yet, visit there some time. This little harbor town on the coast of the Riviera is a tourist favorite, where the rich and famous bring their multi-million dollar yachts into harbor for shopping. (Michael Jordan used to come here every year.) Only about an hour's drive from Cannes, this part of the coast line of the Riviera is absolutely breath-taking. The girls got to shop, eat and layout on the beach (not topless, though 1/2 of the women there did!), and watch the boats come in. Then we left for our evening service in the hills an hour away. (Pictures coming)

May 20 at "Cornerstone Christian Fellowship" (Sophia-Antipolis)
Sunday evening was a great rally of youth (almost exclusively) at James Mills' church, near Cannes. They had published leaflets of our posters, and about 200 people packed into their recently renovated facilities. The youth were genuinely touched, as Luke continued to lead the anointed team ... giving an "altar call" and praying for those in attendance. (Pictures coming)