ACP This Week - 13 November 2025

View this email in your browser

ACP This Week

Hello ACP Family,

Please view this video message from Pastor Paul reflecting on the guiding scripture of our generosity campaign:

“Christ’s body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does their work.” - Ephesians 4:16

It emphasizes that we each have a role in building up the beloved community of Christ by doing our part, doing what each one of us can according to the gifts that God has given us. We're all of the one body, all joined together in Christ's love. We all share one baptism, one faith, one Lord and our journey of faith is one of community - a beloved community,

Pastor Paul also reminds us of our:

2026 Generosity Campaign,
Sanctuary Art Exhibit: Homage to the Masters of Chiaroscuro, Yin Xin’s Sacred Art of China,
Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, 29 November,
Christmas Candlelight Concert on Saturday, 13 December, and
Membership Inquiry Class on Wednesday, 26 November.

Details below.

This Sunday

Scripture Reading
- Acts 16:25-34
- I Corinthians 12:4-13
Sermon Series: The Journey of Faith - if you are interested in reading a good book on the stages of faith, we recommend one of the following:
- The Critical Journey, Stages in the Life of Faith - Hagberg and Guelich
- Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development & the Quest for Meaning - Fowler
- Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It - McLaren
- Inspired: Rachel Held Evans
Sanctuary Art Exhibit: Beginning Sunday, and for three months, the sanctuary features Homage to the Masters of Chiaroscuro: Yin Xin’s Sacred Art of China, uniting Eastern and Western sacred traditions through light and shadow. More information here. You are invited to meet the artist today after the 11h service & Sunday, 23 Nov. after the 14h service.
Sunday Adult Bible Study: 15h30-17h in the 2nd Floor Library or on Zoom. All are welcome. This Sunday, we'll discuss the Book of Acts, Chapter 19. Drop by or sign up at acparis.org/groups.
Love in a Box: This Sunday through 7 December, bring your box back to ACP. You are invited to participate in Love in a Box (L'Amour en boîte) for the holiday season. This is a non-profit association that for over 20 years has worked with volunteers to provide holiday presents to children in local homeless shelters, children’s homes, and community centers mostly in the Ile-de-France region. Get instructions at acparis.org/liab or at the Welcome Table during coffee hour.

Generosity Campaign 2026

Building the Beloved Community. Since September, ACP has been celebrating and recommitting ourselves to the vision of Building God’s Beloved Community. As we continue our “Journey of Faith,” we want to encourage everyone to use this fall’s Generosity Campaign as an opportunity to do whatever you can to help build up ACP as Christ’s Beloved Community. Please make your 2026 financial commitment to ACP at acparis.org/generosity2026.

“Christ’s body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does their work.” - Ephesians 4:16

If you have never made a financial commitment to God through the church, we hope this will be the year you begin. And if you’ve made a commitment before, we ask you to prayerfully consider increasing your financial commitment to ACP for 2026.

As ACP continues to grow in and embody the diversity, grace and love of our God, we want our ministries and message to continue to grow and expand as well. And as each of God’s children gives back according to their abilities, or as Paul writes in Ephesians, “each part does their work,” we all will be, “built up in love” that will spill onto the streets of Paris and beyond.

Please Support the ACP

Save the Dates

Full list of weekly announcements here.

Thanksgiving Dinner: Saturday, 29 November 19h-21h. Whole roasted turkeys, all the trimmings and wonderful fellowship! Wine is available for purchase, and a vegetarian meal option is also offered. Tickets on sale at acparis.org/thanksgiving and at coffee hour (Sundays, 9-23 November) -- 45€ [12 years+], 25€ [5-11 years old], under 5 years free. Seating is limited, so don't wait to get your tickets!

Volunteers Needed for Our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner! 28 and 29 November, different time slots available. Do you love to cook or want to get more involved at church? We’d love for you to join the fun this Thanksgiving! To sign up, contact hospitality-collective@acparis.org.

Christmas Candlelight Concert: Saturday, 13 December 17h30 in the Sanctuary. The Beauty of Christmas shines forth in the ACP Candlelight Concert featuring Youth, Handbell, and Adult Choirs, Alexia Rabé singing popular carols, and organ improvisations by Samuel Gaskin, joined by a host of guest artists. Upbeat Christmas anthems from around the world lead to a grand finale sing-along of traditional French carols in our beautifully decorated sanctuary. Tickets are limited so please join us now for this amazing annual holiday tradition! Tickets available at acparis.org/christmasconcert.

Atelier Nouveau: 23 November 17h30 in the Sanctuary. ACP’s resident tenor Pablo Veguilla will present “Romance on the Riviera” accompanied by Soraya Verdier on piano. Free entry with free-will offering.

Parent Support Group: 23 November 12h30 in the Associate Pastor’s Office. Childcare provided in G7. Sign-up at acparis.org/groups.

Membership Inquiry Class: Wednesday, 26 November 19h15-20h45 in the Senior Pastor’s office and on zoom. Interested in learning more about ACP: who we are and what we believe? We would love for you to join our membership inquiry class! Sign up at acparis.org/signups.

All-Church Christmas Decorating Party: Friday, 28 November, 19h-22h. Get ready to embrace the Advent spirit at ACP! Community Life invites everyone to come together and help decorate the sanctuary for Advent. Enjoy pizza, fellowship, music, and fun! Register at acparis.org/decorating.

Confirmation Interest Meeting: Sunday, 30 November, 12h30 in room G2. Adults and their youth are invited! Confirmation is an opportunity for youth (ages 12-18) who wish to publicly proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. A light lunch is provided.

Make the Season Bright: Charity Crafting Event for Kids and Families: Sunday, 30 November 12h15 in classroom G7. Children and parents are invited to make festive crafts for women supported by our prison ministry, and assembling Love in the Box care packages for children in need. Please bring: a toy, a book or magazine, and sweets (all new, appropriate for children, and able to fit into a shoe box).

Christian Education Conversation, featuring the ACP Mission of '100 Now’: Thursday, 4 December 19h-20h45. As we continue our theme on being Woven Together through Inclusion, join us for our next conversation. The ACP Mission Engagement Committee will present the important mission of 100 Nights of Welcome. Going strong into the 7th season next January, we continue to bless our displaced guests by offering shelter, dinner and fellowship in the gymnasium. Hear stories, testimonies and find out more about how you can help. Sign up at acparis.org/ce-conversations.

Auction of MLK Live Art entitled, 'Beloved Community”

Auction: 7 December 12h30 in the Theater, following the 11h worship service: We are thankful to Antonio Penido, a member of Artist Collective for his generous donation of the colorful contemporary acrylic on canvas painting (click image for information). Graciously created during the International Jazz Brunch, Antonio was inspired by the vibrant jazz music, warm fellowship and the sharing of delicious dishes from different cultures. Proceeds will go to the ACP Mission of ‘100 Now’. Bids will start at 100€. Cash or credit card payment accepted.

Your ACP Council is here for you! For any questions or concerns about ACP, please feel free to reach out to councilmoderators@acparis.org, the Council would love to hear from you.

ACP is searching for a new, permanent Director of Music Ministries! Our spring survey gave us your input on ACP’s music ministry, and we’ve received applications from across the globe. The search task force, led by Council members, is currently narrowing down the group of applicants. They hope to make a hire later this fall. Thanks for your prayers! Info at: acparis.org/dmm.

Previous Weeks' Sermons

In case you missed it, Sermon - 09 November 2025 - Who Is Jesus to You? Sermons are available at acparis.org/sermons. Other previous worship livestreams are available on YouTube.

ACP's services are available with subtitles in English and other languages, beginning on Tuesdays, on ACP’s YouTube channel youtube.com/c/TheAmericanChurchinParis. Click the CC button on the video to enable closed-captioning and translations.

Sanctuary Art Exhibit

Homage to the Masters of Chiaroscuro: Yin Xin’s Sacred Art of China

Beginning 16 November, and for the following three months, the sanctuary’s side panels will feature Homage to the Masters of Chiaroscuro: Yin Xin’s Sacred Art of China, uniting Eastern and Western sacred traditions through light and shadow. You are invited to meet the artist Yin Xin Sunday, 16 Nov. after the 11h service and on Sunday, 23 Nov. after the 14h service.

In the grand narrative of European art history, Christian culture profoundly shaped the development of painting. Especially during the Baroque period, artists explored the divine through dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. Masters such as Caravaggio and Georges de La Tour employed chiaroscuro to transform sacred stories into human dramas, revealing the soul’s deepest struggles between faith and darkness. By contrast, traditional Chinese painting conveys spiritual flow and stillness through ink and negative space, relying not on perspective or light but on rhythm, line, and emptiness.

Yin Xin stands at the intersection of East and West. Born in China during the Cultural Revolution, his earliest visual memories were the monumental, ideologically charged red propaganda posters of that era. That red—symbolizing revolution, vitality, and faith—became a recurring pulse in his work. After formal training in China, Yin Xin moved to Europe, where exposure to the Baroque masters transformed his understanding of light as a medium of revelation.

Over decades of living and creating in France, Yin Xin has studied classical European art while engaging deeply with the spiritual essence of Christian sacred art. In 2017, he was commissioned by Notre-Dame de Paris to create a portrait of the Virgin Mary. Executed in the candlelit style of La Tour yet infused with Eastern serenity, the Chinese Madonna now resides permanently in the cathedral—a poetic bridge between civilizations.

This exhibition presents several large-scale works from Chiaroscuro: The Light and Shadow Series, continuing Yin Xin’s exploration of light and shadow. The paintings feature deep, restrained tones illuminated by flashes of symbolic red—echoing childhood memories, faith, and the vitality of Chinese culture. In the soft glow of candlelight, the Eastern Madonna’s visage radiates serenity and sacredness, offering a meditation on faith, memory, and the human soul.

Yin Xin’s works have been exhibited at the V&A Museum, London, and the National Gallery, Berlin. His art merges Eastern and Western traditions, exploring the intersections of memory, spirituality, and human consciousness, and offers a luminous dialogue between two civilizations.

Announcements & Opportunities to Serve

Full list of weekly announcements here.

In need of prayer? If you are in need of prayer, a lay caregiver is available in the chapel on Sundays to pray with you. If you would like members of the lay care ministry team, members of the prayer chain, and the pastoral team to uphold you in prayer, you may contact us at acparis.org/prayers.

Sandwich Ministry: Thursdays promptly at 17h. Our ACP sandwich ministry meets weekly to make sandwiches to help feed over 100 unhoused persons a week. All materials are provided. Join our listserv at acparis.org/sandwich.

Food Box: To serve our neighbors who seek help from our church, you are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the box (located in reception). The food box is open to anyone in need of food and additional supplies go to Serve the City-Paris.

Christian Education volunteers: Do you enjoy coming to the various learning opportunities such as Bible studies and Thurber Conversations? Interested in helping with set-up, attendance, technical assistance, etc.? Please contact christianeducation@acparis.org.

Nursery volunteers: We need many new volunteers to welcome children (ages 0-2) in our nursery at both the 11h and 14h services! Without volunteers, we don’t have a nursery. If you would like to serve, contact Grace Archer at nursery@acparis.org.

Ushers and Greeters needed: It takes a team of volunteers to welcome our Sunday attendees with love, and help them feel connected and ready to worship together. Contact: welcoming@acparis.org.

Docent Team volunteers: Would you like to learn about the rich heritage of ACP and share it with our members, neighbors, and the wider Paris community? Docents give tours after the 11h service on the second Sunday of every month and make open-door visits of the sanctuary possible on most Thursday mornings. If you are interested, please contact docents@acparis.org.

Audio Visual Ministry volunteers: If you’d like to be a part of our worship tech and A/V team for both Sunday services, we welcome your help. Contact: avm@acparis.org.