In the early months of 2006 Derek and Pam bought a holiday home in the village of Bouniagues and have spent up to six months of the year there ever since.

After training as an Industrial Chemist Derek had a dramatic meeting with the Lord and immediately knew that he was to be involved in Christian work. Not knowing much about churches he trained at All Nations Missionary College believing that to serve God you needed to go overseas.

God had other plans. After College, Derek worked in Industrial Evangelism establishing small groups of Christians in well over three hundred workplaces in the United Kingdom.

Then after further training he was ordained and appointed the senior minister of a group of three Baptist Churches in St. Helens Lancashire, his home county. In the six years that he was there and the following four years in Bedfordshire the churches grew significantly.

That brought him to the attention of the Movement of World Evangelisation. As a member of the Filey Team he served as an international speaker and evangelist for four years, travelling to over fifteen countries, though strangely never to France.

In 1973 the Baptist Union seconded him to form a new ministry team called Maranatha Ministries. This team helped churches of all denominations to present the Christian message in terms which ordinary people and especially men, could understand. Derek continued to serve in this Ministry until 1996. He had one period out as Chaplain at The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

After retirement Derek and Pam were in Billericay Essex and found themselves invited to lead the Baptist Church in the nearby village of Blackmore. In four years God built this work up from eight members to over fifty and the church was able to call a young family to continue the work. So Pam and Derek retired again, until they reached France.

Brian and Sandra Lincoln

Brian & Sandra's French home search started several years ago in the Languedoc, before they eventually discovered the Dordogne, Bergerac and Ste Foy-la-Grande, 20mins west of Bergerac, where they decided on a new-build house in July 2007.

Their French house in Ste Foy was completed in April 2009, and they noticed an advert for Café Church in June, but we’re unable to attend a meeting until September. By the second meeting they found themselves truly at home at Café Church, meeting new friends and sharing fellowship in Christ.

Brian & Sandra were members of St Michael’s, Aldbourne, a thriving village near Marlborough, for 23 years. Brian was one of the Lay Worship Leaders and member of the Music Group. He also served as PCC member, and was Warden for 5 years. Sandra served as both Children’s Leader and Hon. Treasurer to the PCC during their time at St Michael’s. They moved to Milton Keynes in 2008, and worship at St Mary's, Bletchley.

Sandra had a rewarding 28 year career in the NHS, working in Pathology as a Biomedical Scientist.

Brian had over 25 years experience in retail Marketing Communications, before becoming a Christian. He was then lead to the Bible Society of England & Wales based in Swindon, where he spent 8 years in communications and market development roles. In the 10 years prior to retirement, Brian was a Trustee of a local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), taking on the Chair role for the 2 years before retirement.

They particularly enjoy family visits to their home in France, especially their 5 grand-children!