Who are we?
A brief history of LAC
Our Mission Statement
For further information on Counselling speak to Susie Martin
Baptisms are a regular part of Church life
LAC Counselling Service
The church-based counselling service offers professional counselling in English and in French to people within and outwith the church community. The counselling team consists of three professional counsellors. LACCS operates under the framework of Solidarités Anglicanes, the charitable arm of the church. It does not charge a fee, but an average donation of 30 euros is expected...
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Prayer Ministry Team
The prayer ministry team is a group of Christians who feel called to pray for the members of our church. When the Sunday 10:30 morning service ends, the congregation is asked to leave the chapel as quickly and as quietly as possible so that it can be used as a place of prayer. Anyone wanting prayer for whatever reason is invited to remain in the chapel where two members of the team are available to listen to and pray for, or with, them, in a caring and strictly confidential environment. The team meet regularly to pray for each other, to study God’s word together, and to seek to learn how to actively use this ministry to bless our church. We believe that God hears and answers all prayer, and that He can and will use any willing person to be a channel of His perfect love.
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Refugee Liaison Service
There is a significant group of refugees in church, mainly from west Africa, from Nigeria. Many of them have received official papers allowing them to be in France; others are still somewhere in the administrative process. The church are committed to supporting them, both in prayer and in practical ways. There is a collection of food on the first Sunday of each month. Other practical support can be channnelled through Solidarités Anglicanes. For more information speak to Chuks Otobo, who is currently the spokesman for this group on the Church Council.
Organisations that work with refugees in Lyon in conjunction with the church:
Fédération de l'Entraide Protestante
Secours catholique
Forum réfugiés
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Baptism
We understand Christian baptism to be the once-and-for-all rite of initiation into the family of God’ s church. The traditional practice of the Church of England has been to baptise the infant children of Christian parents. But we are increasingly asked to baptise adults and teenagers as well as small children.
The baptismal service comprises:
A public confession of faith, made by the parents and god-parents, or by the candidate, in God the father, Son, and Holy Spirit
A water ceremony, symbolising both the washing away of sin, and also entering into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
A prayer for the receipt of the Holy Spirit
Baptism is not something that should be approached lightly. Those bringing children for baptism need to reflect on their own faith; to see if and how they are modelling the faith to their children.
The days of private baptisms, often on a Saturday afternoon, or of baptism on demand, are a thing of the past.
Confirmation
Confirmation is an Anglican rite, in which the candidates re-affirm the Baptismal vows, taken on their behalf in infancy, and the Bishop prays for the continued work of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. It is a rare event in Lyon, organised according to the availability of one of the two Bishops of this huge Diocese of Europe.
Marriage
Marriage is a gift of God to his people. It is a loving, exclusive, life-long relationship between one man and one woman; sealed by vows made before God and before the families of the couple. It is not a commitment to be entered into lightly or selfishly. Those wanting to be married here in Lyon should contact the Chaplain; and they will then be asked to complete an Application for Marriage form.
We also run The Marriage Course (three times so far), www.themarriagecourse.org, a series of 7 evenings for couples who have been together for at least 2 years. The course is run in English with some French subtitles and French manuals to help mixed nationality couples to be able to benefit from the course. There are also courses run in French ("Elle et Lui") by other churches in and around Lyon (St. Nizier, La R�demption/St. Pothin in the 6�me, Charpennes in Villeurbanne, L'Eglise Evang�lique du 3�me, and Catholic parishes in Irigny, Mornant, Vienne, Beaujeu).
One husband said after following the course: "This course and the time we were able to spend together learning to love each other better, have been real life savers."