December 15, 2024
Shawinigan, Quebec
The angel of the Lord answered him, “Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful”.
- Judges 13:18
Dear friends of the Fondation du counseling biblique (FCB),
This name of God that was revealed by the angel of the Lord is a name that well reflects who God is. It was in a dark period of Israel, the period of the judges, that this name was revealed by the angel to the mother of Samson, the last of the judges. It is also in the dark periods of our lives that God often wants to reveal his face to us in a special way. When he does, he usually uses his Word, the Bible. Being present with brothers and sisters in the valley of the shadow of death with the light of God's Word reflects the essence of what we have the great privilege of doing in our biblical counseling centers. It's also what we teach in our courses.
It is with great pleasure that I write this newsletter to bring you news from the BCF. While 2023 was a year of instability with the death of our sister Lise Dupont in April, and the subsequent hiring and training of new people on the team, 2024 has been a joy-filled year for me. Unity, efficiency and a lively fraternal affection have been very tangible in our team this year. It is a great joy for me to work with brothers and sisters for whom our mission of training biblical counselors is so important. I sometimes repeat to team members that the cause is more important than all of us, and I feel that this sentiment is completely shared by everyone.
In the fall of 2024, we had to close registration early because we had reached the maximum number of students we could welcome. So we started making plans to train new graders. Registrations for winter 2025 are so promising that the same problem of limited enrolment has arisen. In recent years, we've been used to 200-250 registrations per year. We're expecting around 200 registrations for the winter session and probably a similar number for the fall, if the current trend continues.
Please pray that God will provide more proofreaders. If you are reading this letter and God is calling you to work with us by joining our team of graders, please write to us and let us know. Seeing God at work in the lives of counseling center clients and students is one of the great joys that strengthens my faith.
I am delighted to announce that we have decided to start a podcast at the beginning of 2025, dedicated to answering questions frequently asked in our biblical counseling centers or by our students in our courses. Our desire is for God to glorify Himself once again as we marvel together at the riches and relevance of His Word.
On August 24, we held our first day of continuing education in Shawinigan, Quebec. In the form of conferences and workshops, we had the privilege of tackling a variety of relevant and enriching topics for the practice of biblical counseling. It was also an opportunity to foster networking among our alumni and advanced students. We were delighted to welcome some forty participants for this first event. We've agreed to make it an annual tradition.
We're also delighted to announce a new course starting in June 2025: Biblical Counselling for children and adolescents, by Julie Lowe.
Finally, we have formed a Public Communications Committee. Our desire is to communicate with you more frequently so that you can pray for us more intelligently and also share our joys and sorrows with us in a more intimate way. God willing, you should be hearing from us much more frequently from 2025 onward.
If you would like to pray for us every day, please know that this is the greatest gift you can give. If you would like to help us financially with an end-of-year gift, that would be a blessing. Each year, God has faithfully provided for our needs, and we intentionally ensure that lack of financial resources never deprives a brother or sister of benefiting from biblical counseling.
If you would like to participate financially in the work, you can do so by clicking on the link below and select the project that God will put in your heart:
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to meet Stéphan Tessier and myself, or if you have any questions. We'd love for you to partner with us in sharing the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform lives, couples, families, churches and societies throughout the French-speaking world.
May the Lord richly bless you!
In Christ,