The Nagelkirks
Update November 2025
We as a family have learned to cherish our Christmas traditions together.
Several of the evangelical churches around us don't believe it is "right" to celebrate Christmas. It's not "Christian" or "biblical", or it has been perverted by too much commercialism. We don't argue the point too much. Our thought is that if the angels found Christ's coming a good reason to sing to shepherds, then we are happy to sing about it to anyone who will listen. (this includes singing in the rest homes in the area.)
The typical French have a long and complicated history with Christmas. They don't oppose it. They don't deny it. But they don't really "believe" it--all that it means for us. For most it's a cute tradition while others accept that Jesus may have been a real historical person. That being true, most don't realize how earth shattering this moment in time really is, that the creator of the universe would become a child, grow up, and then give his life for the sins of the world. For us it's very, very, very, very special, and we want to sing about it and shout about it and celebrate it.
Our sincere hope and prayer is that you may be richly blessed in this holiday season. May you know the power and beauty and glory and grace that it represents. May the JOY of heaven at Christ's coming infect your soul and set you free from the anxiety of the age. It's clear to see that everything is falling apart around us. Christmas opens the door to the one person in time and space that makes any sense of anything that's happening. Christ came--to redeem sinners--of which I am the worst (like everyone else).
Coffee Table Ministry Still Going On
Grenoble has the second largest university population in the country. There are 60 -70 thousand students here from all over France and the world. One of the ministries that I've partnered with over the years is the FEU: the evangelical foyer for universities students. One of the ways they serve the student population is to offer food coming from the national food bank. They do this distribution every two weeks. This picture is from 2020 when we found that due to covid restrictions the suicide rate of university students around the country was skyrocketing. I offered to come and meet with the students who came to the FEU for food but were forced to wait out in the cold for their share. I came with a table and all I needed to offer them coffee, tea, and cookies. Since everyone had to wait outside, I would serve them and talk to them and try to encourage them. With all that came times when I could share Christ as well.
I still do this today, and it's still one of my favorite activities. I get to meet and talk to students from all over the world. I get to encourage or share with young people who have never met a Christian. Right now there are two students from Iran who, like most Iranian young people, have completely rejected Islam. His name is Nader and hers is Saba. Last Thursday I was able to give each of them a New Testament in Farsi and was surprised at how pleased they both were to receive it. My hope is that I can start a discovery Bible study with the two of them. Please pray for these as well as the other students that come to the FEU.
