The Context

Some years ago we set out to plant a Church by the ocean in Hossegor, South-West France

The Goal

#1 - Create a space for surfers and the local beach community to explore what faith in Jesus looks like and the extraordinary difference He can make in our lives.

#2 - Create a platform on which we could train and release other church planters along the coast of France and beyond.

The Why

Why are we doing this?

In short, we advocate for everyone and chase after ourselves the adventurous life of faith that God has individually and collectively called us to.

We’ve had the privilege of knowing a local Christian who has literally been praying over the beaches of France for decades and he captures the 'why' quite candidly.

“I want to say how extraordinary it is that we are in God’s plan, that God has gone ahead of us, all the work has already been done. What He planned is already unfolding, we are His tools”

Take a look at the trailer of the full-length documentary (link below) which captures part of why we're here and what Church and community life looks like.

The Now

God has been doing incredible things and transforming lives, families, our local community and beyond.

As a result Surf Church getting attention both locally and nationally

Vice Magazine did an article (in French) - https://www.vice.com/fr/article/xwpxpz/a-notre-dame-des-dunes-la-chapelle-des-surfeurs

Then in last September we had France 2 (Similar to BBC2) come to broadcast a live service across the country

It was a wonderful event and an honour to be a part of

The Need

However the attention continues to highlight of the need for more Church plants along the coast of France

And this is really where we need an injection of help to drive towards the 2nd of our goals

“Create a platform on which we could train and release other church planters along the coast of France and beyond.”

We're currently partnering with the local Catholic church who has graciously given us usage of a beautiful Chapel on the beach front.

Downstairs there is a large worn-down apartment that we see a major asset in achieving our ‘Train and Release” goal

The plan is to renovate it and use it in the summer as a Surf Hostel, welcoming everyone into a Christian environment and then, with the funds generated, run a Church Planting training school over the winter

The How

We’ve been very blessed the last couple of months to have extra sets of hands helping with the work.

However renovating any building, especially a run-down old Church, is costly and we’re looking to raise £10,000 to complete the project and to welcome guests this coming summer.

Any financial help and support that you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated

The Intention

Usage of funds will go into 3 main areas

1. Material and Tools (20%)

2. Furniture, Utilities and Decoration (30%)

3. Hiring of additional help (50%)

It is worth knowing that we've had church members pouring sweat, (some) blood and (nearly) tears in their spare time along with others who have dedicated themselves full-time to the renovation.

About Surf Church

Surf Church is a Protestant church and part of a global movement

Elim Pentecostal Church

The Elim Pentecostal Church is a growing movement of more than 550 Christian congregations in the UK and Ireland, and over 9000 internationally. The leaders of Surf Church have been sent by Elim Missions and Serious 4 God to plant churches and work with young people.
If you want to know more about Elim, have a look at the national website.

See www.elim.org.uk for more


Elim France

Elim France was created in 2002 as unions of churches in France affiliated with the Elim movement in the UK.


See elim.fr for more

You can find out more about Surf Church and the leadership here - http://surfchurch.com/hossegor/

Or talk to us on Facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/surfchurchhossegor

About Me

Hi, i’m Simon Wilson and i’m on the team at Surf Church (the one singing in the France 2 clip) and am putting this Just Giving campaign together on behalf of the Church.

Here’s a bit more about me and please feel free to reach out for any additional information.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-wilson-1ab43921/

Additional Content