ACP This Week - 18 February 2026

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ACP This Week

Hello ACP Family,

Please view this video message from Pastor Paul introducing our Lenten Sermon series -- Forgiveness. The scriptures and our Christian tradition teach us to forgive those who betray or hurt us personally or those leaders who do horrible, devastating, unjust things that ruin the lives of multitudes of people. But it can be difficult for us. And it's important to remember what not forgiving does to us. What does it do to our own souls? Maybe forgiveness can be thought about more in terms of what it does for us, rather than what it does to the person who's caused offense.

He also highlights: :

This evening's Ash Wednesday Service:
19h in the Sanctuary
Tomorrow's Thursday Morning Bible Study - open to all hosted by the Men’s Fellowship: Thursday, 19 February 7h30-8h15 at the ACP (in-person only). Please sign up.
Lenten Morning Prayer: Wednesdays through 1 April, 7h-7h10 on Zoom
Lord, Teach Me to Forgive study: Thursdays, 26 February-19 March, 19h-20h30 in the Senior Pastor’s office and on Zoom.

And don't forget

Saturdays' 100 Nights of Welcome (100NOW) community potluck dinner! Saturday, 21 February at 19h45 in the Thurber Room.

Details below.

This Evening, Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Service: 18 February 19h in the Sanctuary.

Tomorrow Morning, Thursday

Thursday Morning Bible Study - open to all, hosted by the Men’s Fellowship: Thursday, 19 February 7h30-8h15 at the ACP (in-person only). While organized by Men's Fellowship, this study is open to everyone and we welcome all who want to explore Scripture together in community. A light breakfast will be provided. To help us plan accordingly, please register in advance: acparis.org/thursday-biblestudy.

Saturday Evening

100 Nights of Welcome (100NOW) community potluck dinner! Saturday, 21 February at 19h45 in the Thurber Room. The Mission Engagement Committee (MEC) and 100NOW task force invites all members of the congregation to a potluck “repas-partagé” dinner. Enjoy dinner, games, fellowship, and cultural exchange with your fellow ACP family, community friends, and our shelter guests. Sign-up at acparis.org/100now-potluck.

This Sunday

Scripture readings:
- Psalm 32
- Jonah 4
Sunday Adult Bible Study: 15h30-17h in the 2nd Floor Library or on Zoom. All are welcome, wherever you are on your faith journey. Drop by or sign up at acparis.org/groups.

Save the Dates

Full list of weekly announcements here.

Lenten Morning Prayer: Wednesdays through 1 April, 7h-7h10 on Zoom. Start your Lenten mornings with 10 minutes of prayer and reflection. Join ACP staff member Jörg Kaldewey for a brief service of spoken prayer, attentive silence, and reflection, with an optional time afterward to share and listen in the spirit of holy stillness. Register here: acparis.org/lenten-prayer.

Lord, Teach Me to Forgive: Thursdays, 26 February-19 March, 19h-20h30 in the Senior Pastor’s office and on Zoom. Join Pastor Rebecca for a four-week course centered on The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu. In this course, we’ll explore the practice of forgiving, common misconceptions about forgiveness, the process of granting forgiveness and the significance of seeking it, and the practice of forgiving oneself. Register at acparis.org/forgive.

Volunteer Appreciation and Recruitment Sunday: 8 March during and after services. We will celebrate and say Thank You to ACP's volunteers and have a call for new volunteers. If you feel inspired to volunteer, we invite you to become part of our volunteer family. Let’s come together to celebrate, appreciate, and grow our volunteer community!

Women's Fellowship Day-Retreat: S

aturday, 14 March 10h-16h, on the theme "Exploring our Spiritual Gifts, and how God is calling us to use them". Admission is free and all women are welcome. Sign up at acparis.org/wf-retreat.

Annual Congregational Meeting: Sunday 22 March, following our one Combined Worship Service at 11h (no 14h worship, and no Zoom option available for meeting). The Council of the American Church in Paris requests the presence of all voting members – and welcomes all congregants. We will receive the 2025 Ministry Reports from the Council, Pastors and Staff (published here soon: acparis.org/meeting-docs), present the 2025 preliminary financial results, and vote to approve the 2026 budget. Childcare will be provided for children ages 3 to 10, and Youth Group is scheduled as usual for youth in collège and lycée. Parents should plan to pack a lunch for their child/children. Please plan to attend this meeting, but if you cannot be present, make sure your vote counts by completing the electronic proxy at acparis.org/proxy. We kindly request that you submit your electronic proxy by Saturday 21 March in order to save time at the Meeting.

Entering Silence: Centering Prayer Retreat: 24-26 April, Centre Spirituel Carmes d’Avon. Join Jörg Kaldewey and Niamh Brennan, Retreat Facilitator and Spiritual Director of Contemplative Outreach Ireland for a contemplative weekend retreat offering an introduction to the method of Centering Prayer, while also providing space to deepen and renew the practice for those with prior experience. The retreat includes 2 nights’ accommodation and full board. Cost: 160€ per person. Limited to 15 attendees. Register at acparis.org/centering. For more information contact Jörg at admin@acparis.org.

ACP Family Day Out: Saturday, 9 May 11h-17h30 at Parc Floral de Paris, Rte de la Pyramide, 75012 Paris. ACP's Christian Education committee is sponsoring a "Family Day Out" for families with kids of all ages at the amazing Parc Floral! Spend time with other families enjoying what the park has to offer: accrobranche, a huge playground, puppet show, pedal cars, and more! Because our generous CE committee would like to cover all costs associated with this experience, we need to get a headcount as soon as possible so that we can purchase our group tickets. So far 37 people have registered to come. Sign up at acparis.org/family-day-out by 28 February.

Continuing through 14 March

100 Nights of Welcome (100NOW) Winter Shelter for Refugees: Each evening in winter, in the gymnasium of ACP, we host 10-15 guests. Two volunteers ensure that everyone is safe and well provided for. You can support this vital ministry by donating money for new items here: acparis.org/100NOWdonate. We are collecting food donations of tea bags, sugar cubes, and protein bars. You can also help by volunteering overnight here: acparis.org/100NOWvolunteer.

Also, see information about 100 Nights of Welcome (100NOW) community potluck dinner! Saturday, 31 January at 19h45 in the Thurber Room.

Are you being called?

Are you being called, or do you know people who could serve on Council at ACP? The ACP Council comprises leaders from our church family who work and pray together, in conjunction with the Pastors, to share information and make decisions on the direction and activities of the church. The ACP Nominating Committee would love to hear your suggestions concerning someone from our congregation who could be a great fit for the Council. Please send your suggestions to nominating@acparis.org or complete the forms found in your bulletins.

Please Support the ACP

2025 Tax Receipt information:

Did you give to ACP in 2025 via credit or bank card on our electronic devices during worship? To receive a tax receipt for these donations, please send the last 4 digits of your card to the accounting department at acctg2@acparis.org.
Were you a new ACP donor in 2025 and gave by wire transfer? To receive a tax receipt for these donations, please send an email to the accounting department at acctg2@acparis.org and complete your giving file by providing your name and mailing address.

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.

Previous Weeks' Sermons

In case you missed it, Homilies - 15 February 2026 - Youth Sunday. 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.

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.