Building Relationships with Outreach Partners in France

Nick and Annie VanWingerden have been serving in Grenoble, France since 2008 with Impact France, focusing on connecting with college students at the University of Grenoble. In 2018, the VanWingerdens partnered with Aurélien and Chloe Lang and planted the Grenoble East Church. They have seen consistent engagement over the past few years, especially with young people.

In 2021, the VanWingerdens became connected with Grace Church through Nick’s parents, who are members at our Harrison Bridge campus. Nick and Annie are now serving partners, and we were excited to send an exploratory team of staff members to Grenoble in January. The team got to spend time with both the VanWingerdens and the Langs, see what their ministry looks like, meet people from their church, and grow in understanding of the culture in Grenoble. They also shared resources from Grace that can help this young church as they seek to equip the believers under their care.

The VanWingerdens face unique challenges in Grenoble, but there are also unique opportunities to share the gospel. There are over 500,000 people in the city of Grenoble—fewer than 1600 of them are Christians who make up less than 16 evangelical churches. Because the area is largely unchurched, these churches desire to support one another. Also, because the University of Grenoble is a high level research university, there is a strong international presence in the city, which provides opportunities to connect with people from all over the world. Please join us in praying that God would continue to use Nick, Annie, and their fellow believers to build a coalition of like-minded churches to reach the Grenoble metro area.

Here are some ways you can pray for the VanWingerdens and our partnership with their ministry:

• Pray for the growth of their student ministry
• Pray for leadership development among the men in the church
• Pray for continued relationships and support between local churches
• Pray that we would be responsive to the Holy Spirit as we consider the future of mission trips and other opportunities for partnership.

To get regular updates from the VanWingerdens and learn more about their ministry, click below.