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Gustavo and Dalila Faleiro are originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Gustavo served as a pastor and musician. Through a collaborative relationship between The Mission Society and IMFORM, a Brazilian missionary sending agency, the Faleiros serve in Paris, France.

Here, Gustavo talks with us about the new church he and Dalila planted in Paris, and the impact Jesus is having on lives there.

The Faleiros arrived in Paris three years ago to work with La Fonderie, a ministry of The Mission Society. La Fonderie’s purpose is to reach French people for Christ by encouraging, inspiring, and discipling Christians working in the arts and creative professions. It is a place to explore the relationship between art, culture, and faith, a place for artists to connect with others while they develop and practice their art, and a community of faith in which to discover life in Christ and deepen that relationship.

“Dalila and I spent the first three years of our ministry in Paris meeting artists, connecting with people, and sharing Jesus with others. But as some of these people sought to know more about Jesus, we found that they did not want to go to a church. They felt that we were already their faith community,” said Gustavo.

“That’s why we decided to start a church. We wanted a community of faith for the people who were already involved in our lives and ministry. In the Paris city limits there are about two million people and only 50 or so French churches, which is not many. As we tried to direct our friends to churches in the area, they were resistant to trying ‘a new and different church.’

“It’s all about relationships. We really believe that people will trust you as they get to know you. We were discipling people long before we directly shared the gospel message with them. We had developed deep relationships with these people and they trusted us. They wanted to go to church with us.

“We chose an old theatre for the church. The church is located on Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, which means, ‘Good News Boulevard.’

“The name of the church, Eglise Bonne Nouvelle which means ‘Good News Church’, seems like it is simply based on the location. But once people hear the Good News of Jesus, they realize that it has a much deeper meaning.”

Eglise Bonne Nouvelle is just a few months into existence, but already the Faleiros are seeing fruit. Around 200 people attended the first worship service. A special event with Paul Baloche attracted 700 people one Sunday in March. Fifty-to-seventy people attend the church each Sunday.

“A sense of family beginning to grow in the church. People are developing relationships, praying for one another, and supporting each other. Many people want to know more about Jesus, His kingdom, and His Word.”