Volunteers are needed for each service to welcome and seat worshipers in a safe and efficient manner. Training is available and the commitment is for about 2.5 hours one Sunday a month.
Santuary is closed for visits; Le sanctuaire est fermé aux visites.
ACP's santuary is under renovation until mid-December and closed to the public except for worship services and special events.
Notre sanctuaire est en cours de rénovation jusqu'à la mi-décembre. Par conséquent, l'église ne sera ouverte au public que pour les services religieux du dimanche et les événements spéciaux.
“For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7)
24 October 14h - Combined Traditional and Contemporary Worship Service - one service only this day
Rev. Dr. Paul Rock’s Installation Service
We cordially invite you to join us for this special service of installation for our Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Paul Rock. This service will be the only service we hold on this day, and it will be followed by a light reception. The church house will still be open for the different gatherings that usually take place between services. We look forward to welcoming you!
"The Story of Spirituals" is a dynamic program of African American spiritual songs traditionally called Negro Spirituals.
"With dominant vocals and passionate melodies, award-winning American soprano Nicole Taylor captivated the Jam-packed auditorium. Her expressive performance of African American spirituals relayed a greatness of a people, a culture, a struggle that merits respect and appreciation... Her performance was phenomenal." Ammon News
"American soprano Nicole Taylor gave a concert that was marked before anything else by genuine emotion. Ms. Taylor needed no more than a piano, and occasionally only her voice, to touch the audience with authentic renditions of a superb selection of African American spirituals." Jordan Times
"The Story of Spirituals" est un programme dynamique de chants spirituels afro-américains traditionnellement appelés Negro Spirituals.
« La soprano (Nicole Taylor) ... a subjugué son auditoire, hétéroclite, par sa voix suave et la spiritualité de chants sacrés, inspirés des textes bibliques..» 2M Maroc
« La chanteuse Nicole Taylor a enflammé la scène local. Nicole Taylor nous fait l’immense joie et honneur de donner un superbe récital, elle qui demeure une extraordinaire soprano... un moment très intéressant d’un point de vue culturel, et particulièrement émouvant. Le public a pu participer en chantant avec et selon les consignes de Nicole Taylor quelques grand classiques du style. Cela procurait bien évidemment une fervente participation du public, qui s'est terminée par une standing ovation. » La Dépêche
Pass sanitaire and mask required. / Pass sanitaire et masque obligatoires.
All proceeds will benefit the ministries and missions of the American Church in Paris. Year-end tax receipts will be provided for donations beyond the ticket cost.
Tous les bénéfices seront reversés aux missions de l'Église américaine de Paris. Des reçus fiscaux de fin d'année seront fournis pour les dons dépassant le prix du billet.
Please present your receipt at the concert as your ticket(s). Veuillez présenter votre reçu au concert comme billet(s).
Tickets cannot be refunded, but can be transferred to other individuals if you are unable to attend the concert. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Les billets ne sont pas remboursables, mais peuvent être transférés à d'autres personnes si vous ne pouvez pas assister au concert. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Thurber Conversation - 26 October 2021 - Hope for People Who are Weary of Violence!
Featuring Shane Claiborne - founder of Red Letter Christians Tuesday 26 October 19h30-21h via Zoom.
to attend this Thurber conversation via Zoom.
Parkland. Las Vegas. Dallas. Orlando. San Bernardino. Paris. Charleston. Sutherland Springs. Newtown. These cities are now known for the people who were shot and killed in them.
More Americans have died from guns in the US in the last fifty years than in all the wars in American history. With less than 5% of the world's population, the people of the US own nearly half the world's guns. America also has the most annual gun deaths--homicide, suicide, and accidental gun deaths--at 105 per day, or more than 38,000 per year.
Some people say it's a heart problem. Others say it's a gun problem. Shane Claiborne believes it's both!
Join us for a very special conversation with Shane as he examines one of most significant moral issues of our times...Violence. Come and discern what we can do as Christians to beat weapons of all varieties into gardening tools. Come and capture a vision of hope for a world that is weary of violence.
Shane Claiborne is a bestselling author, renowned activist, sought-after speaker, and self-proclaimed “recovering sinner.” He writes and speaks around the world about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus, and is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, Executing Grace and Beating Guns. You can follow him on Twitter (@shaneclaiborne), on Facebook (ShaneClaiborne), and at www.redletterchristians.org.
Thurber Conversations are an adult community gathering and growth time that is open to all.
Video recordings of selected past Thurber Lectures and Conversations here
Everybody Always! Becoming love in a world full of setbacks and difficult people. Wednesdays 19h30-21h via Zoom (15 September through 20 October).
to receive Zoom link.
As we learn and grow together at ACP this autumn we're going to stretch ourselves and challenge one another to deepen our love for the people God loves. Let's face it...it's easy to love kind, lovely, humble people, but we'll need to tackle our fear in order to love people who are difficult for us to handle. Perhaps we'll learn to love them without seeking to handle them.
Using curriculum based on Bob Goff's New York Times best seller Everybody Always- each week we'll hear from our Christian brother Bob and then discuss and discern the ways Jesus might be prompting us to learn, grow, and change.
Join us for a 6 week large group exploration of learning to love extravagantly, and then get to know others who are making the journey of faith with you through regular small group breakout sessions.
September 15 - Love People Where You Are
September 22 - Catch People on the Bounce
September 29 - Don't Play It Safe
October 6 - No class this week
October 13 - Look at What's in Your Bucket
October 20 - Love Even the Difficult People
Bob Goff says, “Following Christ means more than just putting a toe in the water when it comes to loving others. It means grabbing your knees and doing a cannonball!” And, as Jesus revealed in the Gospels, it means learning to love even the ones who are difficult to love. Our Everybody Always journey will provide practical steps to help us make that cannonball leap of faith.
to receive Zoom link.
A Pathway Forward: Constructive Conversation on Homosexuality and the Bible
Welcome and Inclusion at the American Church in Paris Every Second Thursday beginning 23 September 19h30-21h via Zoom.
to receive Zoom link.
Join us for a 5 week study of 7 key Bible texts that stir the hearts and minds of Christians across the globe, and unfortunately, too often leave the church divided. Some may believe an exploration of the Biblical texts relating to same sex-relationship too big of a hot-button issue, one that will only lead to more division. Yet here at ACP we believe a study such as this is not about an issue... it's about a face, a person, a family member, a friend, a colleague, a child of God.
Each week one of your ACP pastors will guide the study and discussion of the key texts, in the hope that our time together in study will enrich our understanding of what it means for us to be a welcoming/inclusive church.
Whether you have strong views, confused views, or unexamined views on same sex-relationships you're welcome to join us every other Thursday this autumn via Zoom. Please register for this Bible Study that begins on 23 September.
September 23 - Noah and Ham- Genesis 9 and Sodom and Gomorrah- Genesis 19
October 7 - The Holiness Codes- Leviticus 18 and 20
October 21 - The Roman Context- Romans 1
November 4 - The Great Debate- I Corinthians 6 and I Timothy 1
November 18 - A Constructive Conversation about what we've learned.
to receive Zoom link.
Creation Care at ACP
European Interfaith Campaign for Creation
English-speaking faith and other communities have launched the European Interfaith Climate Campaign. We have committed to working together toward rapid, transformative change to avert climate catastrophe -- in the run-up to COP26 in November in Glasgow.
The American Church in Paris (ACP) feels compelled to respond to the climate crisis, which is afflicting the poor and vulnerable the most. Our children and generations to come will suffer and perish from our inaction. Rapid, transformative change is needed now to avert climate catastrophe.
Plus, we are calling on everyone to join our effort. Faith communities can join the signatories below. People can connect with one or more of the groups for special climate services, events, and challenges. For example, at ACP:
We are holding Climate Sunday-themed services on 31 Oct. at 11h and 14h.
ACP kids are creating “prayer boats” to go to COP26 to one of our activists on the ground in Glasgow.
The founder of 0.6Planet Monica Bassett will headline at a Zoom event on 2 Nov. at 19h30-21h to discuss her new life in a French ecovillage in the Dordogne, where she has drastically cut her consumption.
The European Interfaith Climate Campaign won’t end in November. We plan to continue to collaborate and commit to radical change.
Online Alpha Course
Online Course beginning Monday 27 September 20h30 to 22h
11-week course
Got questions about life? Try the Alpha Course
Ever wanted to explore the meaning of life or ask challenging questions about the Christian faith? Do you have a family member, friend, neighbor, or colleague who is asking questions about life? If you've answered "yes" then the Alpha Course is for you!
Alpha is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed, informal, and friendly way. It welcomes all those big questions – and it's free!
For more information, and to register for the Alpha course, please feel free to contact the Alpha team here. Once you’ve registered you’ll receive an email from the Alpha team shortly before the first session on 27 September with all the information about how to connect.
ACP Welcomes Rev. Dr. Paul Rock as its new Senior Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Paul Thomas Rock grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, Springfield, Virginia, and Stillwater, Minnesota. Paul has been engaged in mission and pastoral work for 25 years, beginning with a three-year stint as a tent-maker missionary in Budapest, Hungary. He served as an associate pastor in Santa Clarita, CA (Los Angeles area) and at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian in New York City before coming to Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Missouri. He received his Doctor of Ministry in 2011 from Drew University. He earned his Master of Divinity with honors from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1998. Paul has two books published by Westminster John Knox Press.
Paul is a disciple of Jesus Christ for many reasons. He has always been spiritually inclined and curious and was raised in a loving family where Christian faith and practice shaped routines and formed character. Through three years of mission work and three years of seminary, God’s Spirit lovingly helped Paul reconstruct his young adult faith and he fell in love with the Jesus of his Reformed heritage. He is tremendously thankful that, throughout his life-long faith journey, he has never felt separated from God’s immense and encompassing love for him. Therefore, he is, and continues to be, a thankful and committed follower of Jesus Christ. In Paul’s own words, “Jesus’s love claims me and gives my life hope, sustaining strength and purpose. In response, I try to know, love, serve and follow Christ each day.”
Paul’s understanding of the Church is that it is a diverse community composed of imperfect people, filled with the Spirit, through whom God continues Christ’s work of reconciliation and healing in the world. As a part of this community, we are all invited to embrace our priestly calling and grow in knowledge, faith and skill so that each of us can be actively engaged in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. As a pastor, Paul understands he is not the shepherd, Christ is.
ACP Welcomes Rev. Elizabeth Murray as its new Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults
Rev. Elizabeth Murray is an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church. Originally from metro Atlanta, Georgia, she has spent the entirety of her ministry in Columbia, South Carolina. Previously, she served as the Coordinator for Hispanic/Latinx Ministries of the South Carolina Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. She has been the youth pastor at Lexington United Methodist Church in Lexington, South Carolina since July of 2016. Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Duke University’s Divinity School. Elizabeth’s seminary internships took her to a non-profit in Kenya, faith-based advocacy work in Washington, DC, a local church in eastern North Carolina, and as a hospital chaplain. She is passionate about reading, travel, social justice, and is an avid fan of American football, especially her alma mater— the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Worship+2: Getting Involved in the ACP Community
Worship+2 is our formula for spiritual health! Whether you are in Paris or traveling, you can join God's people for corporate worship every week on Sunday.
During the week, make sure you are feeding your heart, mind, and soul with life-giving encouragement and inspiration through a small group, prayer, or Bible study group. The plus 1!
Then, make sure that you are exercising your gifts with life-giving service, for example, by singing in the choir, playing in the band, teaching a class, helping out with Children's Worship, serving as an usher or welcome host, scripture reader, or communion server on Sundays, preparing food for Thurber Lectures or the Friday Mission Lunch, or taking food out to people experiencing homelessness. The plus 2!
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ACP Children's Ministry 2021-2022 Registration
We are now making preparations to relaunch in-person Children's Worship!
On Sunday 5 September, we will once again be welcoming children into our Children's Worship spaces during the 11h and 14h services. On that same day, we will be having a kick-off party for families following the 11h service! We hope to see you there for this special day. As we get ready, there are a few important changes regarding child safety policies and practices that we would like all of our parents and caretakers to be aware of.
2) Each Sunday, all children who plan on attending Children's Worship must be checked in at our Children's Check-in desk prior to the service. To facilitate this, it would be best if you and your family could plan on arriving at the church 10-15 minutes prior to your service (10h45 or 13h45) in order to allow for plenty of time to complete this crucial step. After you've checked in, you can proceed to the sanctuary with your family, and children will be dismissed to Children's Worship partway through the service as they have in the past.
A Future with Hope – Strengthened through Generosity!
Jeremiah reminds of us of God's plans for a future with hope.
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
The act of generosity is an integral part, along with faith, love, and kindness, of this plan; it inspires hope.
Your generosity in 2021 enables ACP to provide that hope to hundreds of people each day through our online Worship services, traditional and contemporary music, and the many missions and ministries and outreach activities. Our ministries – our congregation – YOU are making a difference in the lives of individuals. Your generosity is the source of so much good news in this time of uncertainty.
In 2021, as in 2020, ACP is counting on your generosity to allow us to maintain and grow our mission and ministries and to reach a growing community on-line. The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has caused dramatic decreases in our wedding revenues and certain rentals as a result of limits on gatherings. It is for each of us to look at our financial situations, and to prayerfully reflect on how we can provide our church with the resources it needs to be the Beacon on the Seine, and a sustaining force in the lives of its members and the broader community.
You can pledge your support to ACP by any amount – small or large as your spirit guides you. If you would like to pledge you can do so here:
For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Learn about ACP's 2021 worship services, Bible studies, small group studies and prayer, educational events, music ministries, family sharing groups and resources, youth and young adults, and fellowship initiatives below.
Click the slides or links below for more information.
Worship in the Sanctuary volunteers needed - Ushers and live-streaming
ACP is committed to moving forward with in-sanctuary worship services as Covid-19 protocols allow, and also providing a quality online experience for those not able to return to church for live worship. But in order to accomplish these two things, we need people to usher and work with livestreaming.
Ushering: Volunteers are needed for each service to welcome and seat worshipers in a safe and efficient manner. Training is available and the commitment is for about 2.5 hours on a Sunday. If we have a large enough team, ushers will need to serve only once a month.
Live-streaming: Volunteers will be trained to use the cameras and software systems that ACP is putting into place. We need two people for each worship service and would hope to build a team of 6-10 people for each service. You don't have to be technically inclined as we will train you, but if you have an interest in video and sound, please offer your services.
Please do prayerfully consider how you could help out as we continue to adjust to worshiping in new and different ways. ACP's sanctuary worship services depend on volunteers.
Tune in to the ACP Today, Faith Talk from Paris radio show. Broadcast the first and third Mondays of each month at 20h45 at 100.7 FM or frequenceprotestante.com/ecouter-en-direct.
Yes, the pandemic still casts a shadow and sets limits.
Nevertheless … the Wedding Ministry of the American Church in Paris is finding new ways to begin again … with online wedding blessing ceremonies from the sanctuary of the American Church on Zoom.
For more information about this opportunity, as well as our other wedding blessing ceremonies at ACP, in sanctuary or online, contact Wedding Coordinator, Jörg Kaldewey.
Rev. Dr. Paul Rock’s Installation Service
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