France and Germany explore a tighter treaty for Eurozone nations

Europe (MNN) ― Debt crisis in Greece has led to official talks of developing a stricter treaty for the European Union.

According to BBC News, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have come to an agreement that a new treaty must be set in order to avoid any repeats of the Greece financial situation in other nations.

The pair has said that Eurozone states should face greater checks on their budgets and sanctions if they run up deficits

Sarkozy and Merkel propose specifically that the new treaty include automatic sanctions on any nation to run up a deficit of more than 3%.

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Paul Jenks with AMG International agrees that something must be done. "Things have to change for them to be able to stay on top of the issue. The European Central Bank really needs to step in, and that is what the treaty negotiation is all about," Jenks explains.

"We want to have an equal Europe--a Europe on the same footing and playing field," Sarkozy is reported as saying.

Jenks says this mentality makes sense. "In decades gone by, when a country would slip into huge debt like Greece has done, they would just devalue their currency. But because they're all using the Euro, they don't have that freedom anymore. So they have to be on the same page fiscally. And if it doesn't happen, a Leman Brothers-type financial crisis for the whole world is not inconceivable."

The restructuring of financial sectors of the EU will, according to The New York Times, lead to the fundamental change of the EU itself, "creating a form of centralized oversight of national budgets."

In any case, the major changes to come will not be easy and will include a number of new measures including heavy taxing, says Jenks. Whether or not leaders will be willing to follow through with the unfavorable measures is yet to be seen.

In Greece, where AMG has several ministry outlets, most notably including their St. Luke's Hospital, Jenks says the crisis has at least seemed to have done some good spiritually.

"It seems that as the people in the streets face these huge financial challenges, it is causing them to look up," says Jenks. People are more responsive than ever to the Christian literature within St. Luke's, to the AMG youth programs in Greece, and to the ministry's bookstores.

Pray that AMG staff would take hold of these opportunities in the years to come. Jenks predicts it will be eight to ten years before Greece is completely back on its feet, a sentence which has put St. Luke's in a severe predicament. (Read more about that here.) In the short-term, the devaluing of the Euro has helped as American funds raised by AMG go a bit further in Greece than they used to. Full recovery will be long term.

The AMG team has chosen to rely on the Lord, believing that if He wants their ministry to continue, it will. Pray that this attitude would continue and would serve to sow more seeds and reap new lives in Christ. 

Despise Not Small Beginnings

The Luis Palau festival on the
 beaches in southern France held
 earlier this month led hundreds to
 Christ.

France (MNN) ― A breakthrough for the Gospel occurred in Southern France as the Luis Palau Evangelical Association (LPEA) finished their Marseille Provence Festival earlier this month.

The government officials of Marseille and the surrounding areas not only allowed this Gospel outreach on their beaches, they actually sponsored it. The unity of government support and Christian ministry has never happened in France.

Colin James with LPEA explains, "France is a country that has interesting laws and a mindset. And that mindset is that churches stay where they are. You can preach the Gospel, you can do whatever you want, but you really can't invite anybody to make a decision."

Mayors from all over the area invited Luis Palau to a special reception in City Hall. There, Roland Blum, Mayor Adjoint of Marseille, said to Palau, "We need your spirit. We need your message. We look forward to what you have to say to our city."

So followed the historic event of public venues in France being used for evangelistic outreach--something unheard of before. Through this outreach, Luis Palau and his team partnered with 30 different churches and 3,000 active believers to proclaim the message of Christ.

On the beaches of Plage du Prado, 16,000 people were reached with the Gospel, and 400 committed their lives to Christ.

While this number may not seem very significant, it needs to be considered that out of the 1.5 million people in France, there are only 4,000 active believers. 400 new commitments to follow Christ are 10 percent of the current church members in France.

James states, "We really felt like we poked a hole, so to speak, in a mindset or a fortress if you will, that really seemed to open the door for the Holy Spirit to really move in a powerful way. And so we kept thinking, ‘Despise not small beginnings.'"

Since the close of their festival, the Luis Palau team worked with 1 Meme Coeur--the organization responsible for inviting them to Marseille--to counsel on the process of follow-ups with new believers.

Three weeks after the festival's official end date of June 2, 1 Meme Coeur held a "comeback meeting" on the beach for anybody who made a decision to follow Christ. They are currently working with new believers to integrate them into a church body.

"This is historic for us in Provence. Never have we seen such open doors or had so many opportunities to openly share the Gospel," says Gilbert Leonian, chairman of 1 Meme Couer.

Please pray that the redeeming message of the Gospel would continue to spread in the wake of the festival. Pray for those who recently accepted Christ to transition smoothly into a welcoming body of believers and experience growth.

"It's not over," promises James. "It's just the beginning."

Luis Palau Leads Unprecedented Evangelistic Campaign in France

For Immediate Release
CONTACT: 503-614-1500
Colin James: colin.james@palau.org 

MARSEILLE, FRANCE (ANS) -- In a country that has resisted open proclamation of the Gospel for hundreds of years, God provided a much needed breakthrough this past week in southern France, focusing attention on the city of Marseille and the greater area of Provence.

Luis Palau and his interpreter share the Gospel with the crowd at the beach in Marseille (Luis Palau Association 2011, photographer Rob Berry)

Invited by 1 Meme Coeur, an organization made up of church leaders from throughout the region, world evangelist Luis Palau led historic evangelistic campaigns in the cities of Istres, Aix-en-Provence, and Marignane. The campaign culminated in a three day "gospel" festival on Marseille's crowded Plage du Prado beach.

Riding on the tails of France's official Day of Music (June 21), and appealing to France's affinity for gospel music, the festival in Marseille helped reach 16,000 people with the Gospel. The festival included a clear Gospel message from Palau, as well as special musical performances by guest artists from throughout France and the United Kingdom. Palau was also joined by the 73-member Salem Baptist Gospel Choir from Chicago, led by Rev. James Meeks.

The campaign, involving more than 30 evangelical congregations and 3,000 active believers, proved to be the first time such events were allowed to be held in open venues, including amphitheaters, public beaches, and parks throughout the region. Also, in historic fashion, the gatherings brought together civic and church leaders as never before, breaking down barriers and establishing relationships that will last for years.

At the heart of it all, as always, Palau was looking to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. And although the audiences tended to be small in comparison to past Palau events in other nations (800,000 in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2008), the campaign was no doubt historic. According to local pastors and leaders, the events were truly groundbreaking for the region. Hundreds of individuals made public decisions for Jesus Christ in response to Palau's Gospel proclamation that was given in Spanish and translated into French.

"For Luis and his experiences," said Marcel Fontana, president of 1 Meme Coeur, "this must seem depressingly small. But for us, it is a unique breakthrough. The city of Marseille thanks Luis for his heart and passion for France."

"This is historic for us in Provence," said Gilbert Leonian, chairman of 1 Meme Couer. "Never have we seen such open doors or had so many opportunities to openly share the Gospel."

With an approximate population of 1.5 million in the region of Provence, active Christians in the area comprise only a fraction of this number. Yet, this unprecedented partnership brought unity and collaboration seldom seen in the area. And the result: thousands reached in person with the Gospel and hundreds led in decisions for Jesus Christ.

Unique to this campaign, several area mayors not only welcomed Luis and his team, but also officially sponsored the events - offering financial support and endorsement for the openly Christian gatherings (an unheard of development given France's secular constitution).

Early in the week Palau and the team were invited by the Mayor Adjoint of Marseille, Roland Blum, for a special reception at City Hall. He told Palau, "We need your spirit. We need your message. We look forward to what you have to say to our city."

Several mayors from the surrounding area shared the same sentiments at a gathering later in the week, greeting Palau and the team enthusiastically and offering support in whatever way possible. The Mayor Adjoint of Marseille went on record saying, "We'll be behind you next year and every summer. We'll offer you the beach as many times as you wish."

Never before has France seen a partnership like this one where the City of Marseille and the regional government showed their support as festival sponsors. The festival's preceding Season of Service, a critical community service element of Palau's festival outreaches, was a major reason for the civic support.

Also unique to this campaign, Gospel message reached even more people as the festival was streamed on the Internet and broadcast live on Enlace satellite TV to millions of viewers throughout the world. Future broadcasts will air on DieuTV in Switzerland and France, as well as sub-Sahara Africa. Plans are also in the works for broadcasts through CNA Satellite TV to Islamic countries in North Africa and the Middle East.

"Small as it was by the numbers we are used to," said Palau, "I am so glad I came to southern France. The Lord used this campaign to open doors, to plant seeds, to establish relationships, and to lead hundreds of people to Himself. There is nothing greater than that. In addition, because of the wonderful multiplier effect of mass media, we had the opportunity to reach many more people through the Internet, television, and radio."

Many members of the organizing committee remarked that it was amazing to see the Gospel clearly and publicly proclaimed to their fellow countrymen. There is great hope and excitement among the churches to work together again to share the Gospel in even more ways in the years to come.

To learn more about Luis Palau's worldwide evangelistic ministry visit www.palau.org.