Devastating wildfires engulfed southwestern France this summer — one of the most unreached regions for the gospel in the country. However, Arnaud Schrodi, director of church planting and development for Perspectives (Union Perspectives or Églises Perspectives, a network of evangelical Protestant churches and church planters in France) is now home after being forced to evacuate with others from Pessac, a suburb of Bordeaux. In this interview, he recalled how the natural disaster provided an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.
“The forest fires this summer were devastating,” Schrodi told Christian Daily International, reflecting on the dramatic experience endured by himself and others.
“The region between the coast and Bordeaux was hit particularly hard. Hundreds of people saw their homes destroyed by the ferocity of the flames. Here in Pessac, we are too far away from those families to have direct contact. However, the entire region was affected by toxic smoke, evacuations and falling ash.”
Despite the widely reported dramatic events, the tragedy led to opportunities to share the love of God with others.
“There was an outpouring of support, which gave us the chance to talk a great deal with our neighbors and get to know each other better,” said Schrodi.
“That is the first step toward building a life that bears witness to our faith. I am considering organizing a prayer and worship vigil in the village of Le Porge to support those affected.”
Paul Cooke, director of France Mission, recalls in the mission’s latest newsletter how he received a WhatsApp message from Schrodi on July 25, as the fires loomed closer.
“The fires in the Gironde region are extremely fierce. Last night, the wind shifted, and Pessac found itself under a massive cloud of smoke, filled with the strong smell of burning and falling ash,” Schrodi messaged the church plant supporters at the time.
“At 2:45 a.m., an alert came from the authorities stating that western Mérignac — located just a few hundred meters away as the crow flies — had to evacuate. The atmosphere is understandably very tense and anxiety-inducing.”
Fortunately, Schrodi’s wife Colette and children were away on vacation. However, Schrodi had to evacuate with his parents and the mission’s team members Bruno and Annaelle.
“These events remind us of our own smallness and drive us to draw our strength from the Lord,” said Schrodi in his WhatsApp message. “Thank you for your prayers for everyone affected by these fires.”
Southwestern France has seen an influx of new people — young workers, students and families — in recent years, according to Cooke, but has just 300 churches for 8 million people spread across 129,000km². This is comparable to New York City in the U.S. where 3,000 evangelical churches serve the same number of 8 million but within an area of only 1,214km². Cooke points out it means New York has 10 times more churches, despite being 100 times smaller, compared to southwestern France.
Schrodi recalled how God gave him a vision for church planting in France and the critical need for gospel witness in some regions lacking churches.
“At the age of 25, I was struck by a map of France showing the number of evangelical churches by department,” he said.
“I realized just how privileged my native region of Alsace was in terms of its Protestant presence. That day, God placed a burden on my heart for the southwest region.
“Impatient and eager, I thought I would quickly join a church-planting project in Biarritz. But God’s timing is not our own. God had a different path in mind — one that was less direct but offered greater preparation.”
There followed 20 years of “preparation, experiences, projects and challenges.” After four years of study at the Geneva Bible Institute and 10 years of church planting in Strasbourg, God opened an unexpected door for Schrodi.
“In August 2025, God called our family to leave everything behind and move to the Bordeaux area to develop a church-planting network with the Union Perspectives. We are based in Pessac, a town adjacent to Bordeaux that is home to the university campus. The Perspectives church in Pessac thus marks the first chapter of a larger project that God is preparing.”
The Schrodi family created a church plant in their home and continues to seek larger premises to rent, to enact their vision for worship services, student work and for a church planting center to support future church planters.
The longer vision is to plant, train, send and multiply: building a network of churches throughout the greater southwest, headquartered in Bordeaux.
Schrodi and his team have a simple vision for the southwest “to humbly participate in the work of evangelism so that the Good News of Jesus may spread.”
Strategy is important for church planting and the city of Bordeaux is a central hub for the region. Pessac was chosen by Schrodi because there was only one Protestant church for a population of 66,000, and the area is also home to a university campus with more than 60,000 students.
“We hope that the Pessac church will — like the church in Antioch — bear fruit and serve as a launching pad for future church planters,” said Schrodi.
“To this end, we are developing a regional training center for church planters. We are also establishing a dedicated ministry for students. For those far removed from the church, we aim to create a ‘third space’ in the form of a coffee shop, with the goal of naturally building bridges to the church. Additionally, we wish to support independent churches by providing them with guidance and mentorship.”
Schrodi said the church planting team had many prayer needs.
“Please pray for those who have never heard the Gospel, for team members to join us, for a suitable venue to host our activities, for future church planters and for financial support,” he said.
