Summer

Franzi tells us about the Christian Surfers Girls weekend that took place in Hossegor end of August.

Hey! I’m Franzi, 18, from Bavaria/Germany. I participated in the Christian Surfers Girls Surf weekend last summer. In many ways these three days were a great time for me and I made some special memories that I will never forget:
For example the big delicious meals that we first made together and then ate outside in the garden of the surf hostel we lived in.
And the times when we went surfing on the beach and I finally managed to stand on the board for more then three seconds. I’m very thankful for the powerful feeling you have when you’re surfing a good wave, even if it didn’t happen that often haha.
We also had daily devotions when we read the Bible or different women either shared their testimony or gave us encouragement to quiet self-doubt and comparing ourselves with others, but grow into strong women who have their identity in God.
All in all, I found it very encouraging and refreshing to spend time with a bunch of young people that share the same belief as foundation which is a very powerful connection and also share the passion for surfing.

CS France Hits the Road Again, Key Members Gather in Bretagne

Now three years into our nationwide networking efforts to find those surfing Christians that must surely be out there in the French lineups, we’ve noticed momentum for CS France picking up significantly.  The newly released Bible des Surfeurs is starting to bear fruit, not only in making the gospel known on the beaches, but also in bringing greater visibility to Christian Surfers both in evangelical and in Catholic circles in France.  In addition, we continue to receive new contacts through the website and social media, and now we’re seeing surfers who were new contacts two or three years ago committing themselves to the Every Surfer mission. 

Thus, with the aim of coalescing key members and leaders around the vision and turning the conversation towards strategy, national director Audrey Harrison convened the greater part of her nascent team for a weekend retreat in May at Plouharnel in Bretagne (Brittany).  The gathering also afforded the Harrisons the opportunity to organize this year’s annual networking road trip with stops along the way towards Bretagne.

One of the highlights of our week on the road was meeting a young man who had received the Bible des Surfeurs from a friend and promptly gave us a call.  Passionate in his desire to share his faith with fellow surfers, he is now equipped with more copies and has already placed one in the lounge of his surf club with the club president’s blessing.  Other encouraging outcomes include two new partner churches in Bretagne, two different pastors expressing a desire to plant surfer-friendly churches, and a group of teens getting excited about belonging to CS France.  The icing on the cake was a sunset session at Sainte Barbe to wrap up the weekend gathering! 

In the new year

Christian Surfers wishes you a happy new year. May the Lord keep you close to Him and satisfy you in his presence. We hope to remain close to you as well and would love for you to send us your news. You can contact us at info@christiansurfers.fr

This year, we are releasing a new prayer calendar. Every month, there is a beautiful photo of the line-up, as well as news from four countries where Christian Surfers is active. Each country has a couple prayer requests and a photo. If you wish to have a calendar, please let us know at info@christiansurfers.fr

Autumn - Welcome to Hossegor!

An amazing gathering took place in les Landes region (the sunny south west of France) late September.

The 2018 International gathering was held on the beautiful beaches of Hossegor bringing together 280 surfers from 27 countries gathered to worship and train together to continue our mission of seeing #everysurfer and all the surfing communities having the opportunity to know and follow Jesus!
We had the opportunity to listen to every country’s achievements in the last few years but also to pray for certainty in visions and accomplishment in goals.
It was a week of encouragement and renewal for all of these Christian surfers who are eager to realize the plans that God has put in their hearts to reach the lost throughout their society. 
A mixture of beautiful languages and funny cultures (especially the French cuisine) were shared amongst us all but a large amount of faithfulness and wisdom was also exchanged in preparation for the future adventures that await us.

Summer

In August, we received 2000 copies of La Bible des Surfeurs!

The story in a nutshell:

In 2004, the first edition of the French Surfers Bible came out, thanks to the initiative and funding of Christian Surfers Tahiti.  6,000 New Testaments were printed.  In the years since, they have made their way across France and have proved to be most useful in the start-up of Christian Surfers France and in churches along the coast of France.  Several of our friends in the southwest testify that the Surfers Bible played a key role in their coming to faith.  This year, fourteen years after their initial printing, we realized we were distributing the very last boxes of La Bible des Surfeurs and simultaneously recognized that it was also time for a graphic redesign and new testimonies of professional and francophone surfers.

Audrey, the national coordinator of Christian Surfers France, then started a conversation with Christian Surfers Tahiti and subsequently with Roy Harley and Phil Williams.  With the biannual International Gathering slated to come to Hossegor, France in the fall of 2018, Roy encouraged Audrey to push the project forward to unveil the new edition at the Conference!  With only months to go to raise the funds, contact potential publishers, solicit testimonies and accompanying photography, work with a graphic designer for the cover and layout of the testimonies, it seemed a momentous task, especially given the particular busyness of the season.  Faith stirred in our hearts, however, and we said, “Let’s go for it!”

We opted to keep the same format, publisher, and Bible translation from the first edition.  Though it is a bit bulky for just the New Testament, what was more important for us than a compact size was the ease of reading as most of the French people who are receiving this Bible are encountering God’s Word for the very first time.  With large print, a single column layout, and text broken up into short passages with headings, it’s inviting to read.  We got updated testimonies from the likes of Eric Arakawa and CJ Hobgood who were already in the 2004 edition, and we added the stories of a number of francophone surfers including Anne-Cécile Lacoste, female world champion bodyboarder in 2015. 

With pieces of the puzzle falling into place, we turned our attention to the financing of the project.  3,000 copies at about 5€ each comes to 15,000€, a daunting sum for CS France which had about fifty bucks in a dormant bank account a year ago.  We launched a crowdfunding campaign in France, dug into our own pockets, and turned to a couple churches we know in the US.  God stunned us with a reply from the US within 24 hours of sending out the e-mail—nearly 5000€ already on the way!  That put us over what we needed for the down payment, and the Bibles went to print!

We received 2,000 copies of the 2018 edition of La Bible des Surfeurs a few weeks before the conference and an additional 1,000 have been shipped to Tahiti.  In France, the Bibles have already been put in the hands of surfers on the beaches of Brittany and the Mediterranean through our expanding network of CS France contacts and partners. 

We praise God for the way that La Bible des Surfeurs is helping to fulfill the vision of #everysurfer.

Spring

In 2016, we set out on our first Christian Surfers France networking road trip, and every year since we’ve visited new spots and made new connections.   After meeting surfers and churches on the Mediterranean and Normandy coasts, and even some Parisians (no, there’s no standing wave on the Seine unfortunately), 2018 was the year to head towards Brittany.  Thus, during the spring school holidays, the Harrisons hit the road from Hossegor heading north.

Our first stop was Nantes where we met Léo, a twenty-something skater/surfer who was the first person to contact us through the re-launched website of CS France.  Audrey had communicated back and forth with Léo by e-mail for about a year, so we were thrilled that he was free to meet us as we passed through Nantes as the gateway to la Bretagne.  What a testimony we heard!  Plunged deep into the sordid and addictive night scene, Léo experienced a radical awakening while at a night club in Berlin.  God broke through the darkness and brought him into the light of Christ.  He is now breaking free of the strongholds of sin in his life as he is regularly discipled by a group of priests.

Next on our itinerary was a visit with a couple that had stopped in at Surf Church while they were on holiday in Hossegor last year and while we were away ourselves.  We had therefore never met in person but had been talking and praying with them regularly via Skype ever since. Esther and Jonathan have purchased a plot of land near one of the most well-known spots on the south coast of Brittany and are building a home for which they have a vision of welcoming surfers and potentially launching a house church.  Then on Britanny’s north coast, we visited a church in Saint-Malo that we had been hearing about for a long time as having a number of surfers including the assistant pastor.  We were warmly welcomed by Loïc and his wife who fed us and regaled us with stories and testimonies of the early days of surfing in la Bretagne.  We were able to spend time with several other surfers from Loïc’s church who were unanimous in their enthusiasm for the vision and ministry of Christian Surfers France.

With each new and renewed contact on our trip, we equipped them with outreach tools including CS France-branded surf wax and copies of la Bible des Surfeurs from the last boxes remaining from the 2004 printing.  By the way, be on the lookout at the International Conference for the release of a brand new edition of this French New Testament with surfers’ testimonies!

We praise God for the mutual encouragement in all of these growing friendships and connections, and we look forward to our next networking road trip.  In the meantime, we hope to see many of you in Hossegor in September.  May every French surfer have the opportunity to know and follow Jesus!

In the new year

Christian Surfers wishes you a happy new year. May the Lord keep you close to Him and satisfy you in his presence. We hope to remain close to you as well and would love for you to send us your news. You can contact us at info@christiansurfers.fr

This year, we are releasing a new prayer calendar. Every month, there is a beautiful photo of the line-up, as well as news from four countries where Christian Surfers is active. Each country has three prayer requests and a photo. If you wish to have a calendar, please let us know at info@christiansurfers.fr

Autumn

After travelling for eighteen months around the country, after dozens of meals, of surf sessions, of Skype calls, and so on, we finally all met up for a weekend in les Landes. Anne-Cécile Lacoste and Bianca Buitendag, both professional surfers, shared about their life on the pro tour; Mathieu and Sarah told us what the "Surf Together" weekends are all about; Melissa explained the idea behind "Business As Mission" ("where you live is where you work and where you minister"); Christophe gave us an overview of the past ten years of Christian Surfers in France; Stéphanie, Loïc and Isa sang some beautiful worship songs; Moïse baked great banana bread; and Levi and Sophie were the indisputable king and queen of the weekend-long Indo Board competition. The weather was so horrible that only a few were able to go surfing Friday evening. No surf for the rest of the weekend! Ironic, don't you think, for a gathering of surfers?

Summer

The week of France's national holiday (July 14th) was full on. We attended a huge gathering of young people in Le Havre, called Bouge Ta France, where we made some great connections. Many people were attracted by our Indo Board workshop where they could try out this balance challenge. We were able to meet several Christians who are surfers, and hear about how they share their faith in the water. We were encouraged to continue our network building efforts. See you soon, new friends!

Spring

This spring is a season of baptisms. What better way to celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior than to be baptized on Easter Sunday! It's a great privilege to be able to walk through life together and a great joy to see our friends baptized in their local churches.

Winter

This winter saw the birth of two little princesses: Winnie and Agnès. Our two youngest members of Christian Surfers France were born December 31st and January 31st, respectively. Their parents haven’t taken them surfing yet, but it shouldn’t be long now, with the summer approaching. On this happy occasion, we remember to pray for the many other mothers of newborns. May God strengthen, protect and bless them. And may they have people in their lives to encourage, support and love them. 

International Conference 2018

Hossegor, France

We are delighted to be hosting the Christian Surfers International Conference in 2018. The Groundswell Conference held in France in 2004 was a turning point in the lives of many, and played a significant role in bringing several families to France to work amongst surfers on the southwest coast. Please pray for this 2018 edition, that it will touch many people and encourage us to further the work of God’s kingdom in France.

We are a family on mission - we are in this journey together using this amazing tool of surfing to reach every surfer! Come join us for our bi-annual family reunion. Our aim is to gather to train leaders, fellowship together, strengthen and encourage one another. At the conclusion of our time we will send out missionaries to the uttermost ends of the surfing world!

(Watch the promo video by clicking the image above)

WELCOME TO FRANCE

Cap Océan Conference Center

We are returning to Cap Océan after first meeting there for the 2004 International Gathering. Located one hour north of Biarritz, and conveniently located walking distance to world-class beachbreaks and a 5 minute drive to the town center, we are excited to reconvene in a historic venue for our ministry. Visit their website

Gathering Fees: Due by August 1, 2018

• Individual: €449
• Couple: €799
• Families = €799 +
  • Infant (under 2): free
  • Children (2 to 11): €125 each
  • Children (12 to 17): €190 each
  • Children (18+): €250 each
    • All children must register with an individual or couple for these special rates

Fees include Gathering venue and program, as well as the speakers, t-shirt, childcare, lodging, and 15 meals on site. The Gathering registration checkout page charges a small admin fee on top of these rates.

Day Visitors
Day visitors are welcome. Please contact us for more information regarding the price.

Registration
All registrations are online and require a credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express). Gathering fees and accommodation are to be paid in full by August 1, 2018.

CSALT Intensive
Following the gathering on October 1-3, will be Christian Surfers Advanced Leadership Training. This will be a detailed consortium of like-minded CS leaders in a field you are interested in. Study sessions range from Groundswell Aid, Chaplaincy, Foundations Training, and Leadership.  CSALT is open to anyone and everyone who is interested.

Delegates
This is a gathering for Christian Surfers leaders, friends and ministry partners. Please check with your national leader or regional coordinator if you are unsure about attending. Others exploring CS as a mission are welcome. We also invite our friends from other surf missions.

Pre & Post Gathering
There are a wide array of pre and post gathering meetings, most requiring a special invite. Please review our calendar and Frequently Asked Questions for dates and descriptions of these meetings, and a link to register specifically for them.

SCHOLARSHIPS

We have a number of partial scholarships built into the Gathering costs available upon request from your national CS leader. You can also adopt an emerging world leader or donate a scholarship when registering.

CHECK BACK SOON TO SPONSOR A LEADER!

REGISTRATION

Please, click here to register.

National Conference 2017

In October 2017, the Christian Surfers family, composed of surfers from all over France, came together in Hossegor to participate in our first National Conference. It was a time of teaching, fellowship, encouragement and the chance to get a few waves together (only Friday as the weather was horrible the rest of the weekend!).

We shared about various Christian initiatives in the surf world.  We heard about surfers from Normandy sharing their faith in the water; we heard about surfers from Paris organizing surf camps for adults along the Atlantic Coast; we heard from a French pro bodyboarder who shares her faith with the French national surf team and has witnessed miracles in the lives of the best French pro surfers; and we heard about the “business as mission” model and the heart of a missionary family who started several businesses as mission.

It is clear that God is moving all around the country, and we want to work in unity because we are stronger together.  Not long before the weekend, we were reminded of a passage from 1 Corinthians 12.  Verse 12 says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

With this unity of the body in mind, we concluded our weekend with a prayer that we would be like a fishing net, gathering all the Christian surfers around the country, not leaving anyone behind. We don’t want any surfers to be so isolated that they end up forsaking their faith. Our desire is to find these surfers and empower them so that they can be effective witnesses in their local surf community.

Road Trip

We recently set off on our first CS Road Trip to the Mediterranean coast for 5 days. We weren’t sure what to expect or who we would specifically meet but felt very much that we should go in faith and see who God would lead us to. We were delighted to meet people who were keen to take some fliers for the national and international conferences. We also met a couple in Nice who have surfing links and know of a few surfers in the area and are keen to keep in touch and communicate with us which is exciting. Another encouraging meeting was in Hyeres, where we met a couple who expressed a real interest to get alongside our team and be involved in CS France.

CS International Visit

We also had the joy of spending some time with Roy Harley (CS International Director) and Phil Williams (CSUK and European Director) as they stopped off in France for a short visit before heading to Portugal for the CS Europe Conference. We had good conversations surrounding CS France and managed to view a potential venue for the CS International Conference 2018 which is to be held here in France. All very exciting things to come!

CS Europe Leaders Gathering 2016

This year, the conference is taking place in Estoril, Portugal. This is a chance for us to see for ourselves the great progress of Christian Surfers Portugal: Surf Church Porto is celebrating its first year since being planted; new contacts in the South of Portugal are going to pave the way for a new chapter; and the Lisbon gang has found some new members.

Autumn

An exciting moment for us in September was our first Christian Surfer’s meet up and BBQ! We held it just by the dunes at Le Penon in Seignosse, SW France and enjoyed a couple hours of feasting on meats and salads and whoever fancied it went for a surf afterwards. We were really encouraged with the turnout – about 20 or more people gathered together to meet, chat and surf. We weren’t sure what to expect, being the first arranged gathering, but were delighted with the outcome. We have since met in October and plan to do so each month thereafter, with the winter months moving into a more home-based cosy meet up as opposed to BBQ on the beach!!!

International Conference 2016

Stanwell Tops, Australia

Groundswell Conference 2016 was a phenomenal week filled with as much fellowship, worship, training, surfing, laughing and loving as could possibly be fit into such a short period of time. We wish you all could have been here with us! More than 200 delegates representing 26 nations made their way Down Under. Feel the love in this full recap from an amazing conference.

Special thanks to video genius Taylor Brant / Mistaken Productions

More pictures and stories on http://www.christiansurfers.net/conference-blog/

Keep connecting, partnering, discipling, serving and equipping for God and we’ll see you in France in 2018!

CS Europe Leaders Gathering 2015

An inspiring young lady by the name of Lydia made her appearance. She’s just acquired a bed and breakfast on the island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, that she’s named “Oasis Surf House”. What a spot for a surf trip! We’ve also met three couples for the first time who are planting a church in Porto, Portugal. Last but not least, our friends Mike and Trish from the land down under graced us with their presence for a few days.

International Conference 2014

Esterillos, Costa Rica

The big news this year is Brett Davis’ announcement that he is retiring from his position as the International Director and will be passing the torch to Roy Harley. What a joy to see complete consensus for the appointment of Roy as incoming director! Each day started with early surfs with the nations, prayer on the beach and rice and beans combo - the true Pura Vida experience. Opening day just so happened to be the peak of a swell and overhead waves thumped out front of the palm-lined conference centre. A final wrap up by Roy Harley encouraged us to 'give up' (our lives and give them to Jesus) 'change direction' (and be doers of the words we received) and 'go surfing' (we need to be constantly going to our lost surf communities).