St. Nazaire Marriage Weekend

April 17-18, 2026 | By Neil Gilliland

As I am sitting in the Nantes airport waiting to board the first leg of my flight home, I find myself reflecting on the past week I spent in St. Nazaire. I arrived in Nantes on Wednesday, April 15. Welcomed by the Price family, we traveled the hour to their home in Saint Andre des Eaux. If I can trust my memory, this was the first time I had been in Brittany, and it wasn’t raining. The mornings were a bit chilly, but the clear skies and sun soon dissipated the chill. Thursday was a day to “rest”. We visited a couple from the church who are salt gatherers in the salt marshes near Guérande. After which we walked around the beautiful old town of Croisic, and ate lunch in a quaint creperie in the middle of town.

Friday afternoon, we set up the upstairs of the church for the evening marriage sessions. I did two sessions that evening with Myriam Reeves translating for me. There were about 10 couples and several singles. Two couples came from the Mosaic church in Nantes. The sessions seemed to be well received, as evidenced by all but one couple (work obligations) returning the next day.

On Saturday, we had five sessions with Myriam Reeves and Justin Teague translating. Again, the sessions seemed to be well received. We covered the topics of a Biblical view of marriage, primary needs of men and women, the impact of spiritual warfare on a marriage, the simplest yet hardest part of marriage (i.e., living out the fruit of the Spirit in the marital relationship), baggage we bring into the marriage, communication, and then seven steps to a thriving family. Matt included some fun games between some of the sessions to serve as a break from the intensity of the sessions. Saturday night, we met in Nantes for supper with the Reeves, Riggs, Chereaus, and Prices. It was a delight to see everyone again, especially in France. IM and Free Will Baptist have a lot to be proud of the work they are doing.

Sunday morning, I did a short counseling session (Matt translated) before the service. I had the honor of speaking Sunday morning on “What It Means to Know God.” I greeted the congregation in French but soon transitioned back to English since having been out of French for nearly forty years, my abilities in the language are paltry to say the least. David, born in Côte d’Ivoire, led worship and translated for me. After a delicious lunch at another creperie by the bay with the Reeves and Prices, I led the final session on Sunday afternoon, following the morning service. Those who were there completed a survey. There was overwhelmingly positive feedback over the weekend.  Just before leaving the church, one couple spoke to me and said, “This has been an intensely emotional weekend, one minute we were laughing and the next minute crying. We learned so much. Thank you for coming.”

On Monday, Matt and I again traveled to Nantes and had lunch with Steve Riggs and Jonathan Chereau. Again, a wonderful time to chat about life and ministry.

The Prices were absolutely wonderful hosts. Matt and Cristina went above and beyond to make me feel welcomed and comfortable. One of the significant highlights for me was getting to spend so much time with the Price girls, Emilie and Madeleine. They watched the children during the sessions (no easy task, I assure you). Our denomination would swell with pride if it could see the girls as they interacted with the church folks. While both played the piano beautifully, it was Madeleine’s turn to play for the service. They were on spring break, so I feel bad that I was probably the reason they didn’t do something fun, even though I loved every moment I was able to spend with them. They started back to their rigorous studies at home. They were sweet enough to take time off from their studies to go to the airport with us this morning. I am so very proud of both Emilie and Madeleine.

I am grateful for the Father allowing me one more chance to serve cross-culturally. While my French was anemic and my speaking mediocre, I am always amazed at how the Father graciously uses what was shared to impact lives. I am returning to the U.S. humbled and filled with joy.  One thing is certain: while my words and thoughts are inadequate, His aren’t, and it seems that He spoke clearly. So, I thank Him for speaking in tones that were clearly heard.

Under the King’s Wings,

Neil Gilliland