Who are Tony & Nathalie?

Tony and Nathalie Bissonnette, with their three children, Kevin, Andy and Anthony, moved to Rollet in Abitibi, Qubec, in July 2007 to work in the Assemblée Chrétienne at Rouyn-Noranda.

Tony's Testimony

Tony was born in Shawinigan, and like most French Qubcois, he was brought up as a Roman Catholic. His mother taught him to pray from a young age, which he did frequently. As a result of this, he grew up knowing Jesus as his friend, but not as his Saviour. During his adolescence, he changed his childhood friends, and he let the Jesus of his upbringing depart along with his former friends, preferring the pleasures of the world. However, after the death of someone close to him in 1988, thoughts about eternity began to haunt him. Fearing death more and more, one day he remembered the friend that had been so important to him in his childhood. Not knowing how Jesus would respond to his request, he implored him to come back into his life. He wasnt expecting the answer that, contrary to his own behaviour, Jesus had never rejected him. The Lord also put someone in his path to help him, and in March 1998, at 28 years old, he put his trust in Him as his Saviour.

Nathalie's Testimony

Contrary to Tony, thinking about God held no attraction for Nathalie. Having lost her father at 14 years old, and her mother 7 years later, Nathalie couldnt see the God of her parents religion as a God of love. However, in spite of these circumstances, Nathalie secretly read a tract that Tony had wanted to give to her, but hadnt dared to do so as yet. The Lord revealed himself to her as she read the tract. The love of God, which Nathalie didnt believe existed, was shown to her through what Jesus had done for her. Consequently, she received the grace of God 24 hours before Tony.

Growing in Faith

Tony and Nathalie joined the Assemble Chrtienne at Shawinigan where they grew spiritually and served for about eight years. Tony took courses in order to increase his understanding of the Scriptures and to give him a grounding in theology. Around 2005 Tony and Nathalie began to have a desire to serve God in the Abitibi region. They prayed with the elders of their church about this and discussed their plans with the three boys.

Moving to Abitibi

Finally in July 2007 they made the decision to move to work in the new Assemble Chrtienne in Rouyn-Noranda, with their three boys in full agreement. Tony left his job of 16 years with Alcan. After a period of adjustment, the boys are happy in their new home, church and schools. As well as working in the new church, Tony enjoys hunting and fishing in the Abitibi. Nathalie loves to do tole painting on wood. As a family they enjoy board games and movie nights (with pop corn!). On summer evenings you might find them sitting around a campfire, singing and roasting marshmallows. In the summer they have also been involved with Camp Joli-B, a French evangelical camp, which is near their home in Rollet.

L'Assemblée chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda - Our Partner Church!

Faith Community Bible Church has decided to become partners with the new church at Rouyn-Noranda. We will try to find ways to get acquainted with one another and to encourage them in various ways, including our prayers. We hope to visit them and help them in practical ways in the future.

Tony and Nathalie were given a warm and loving welcome by the group of 8-10 people who belonged to the church at the time of their arrival. This made their integration much easier and helped their boys to adjust to their new home. Tony is being mentored by co-workers Gérard Chouinard, Gaston Jolin and Gérard Jolin, and also supported by the Groupe Réseau des Assemblées Chrétiennes Évangeliques. (GRACE) This resource group has been formed by highly qualified and experienced Bible teachers from Brethren Assemblies in Quebec in order to enable the development of new Assemblies and to ensure the support of their workers.

The presence of l'Assemblée chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda is announced by a notice board on the street outside of their rented premises. They are in negotiations to purchase the former Anglican Church in which they now meet. Attendance has grown to 50 on Sunday mornings in six months time. An Elders board has been formed, 12-15 people attend the Wednesday night prayer meeting, a home Bible study has been started, a library is being formed, a worship team with four musicians has been formed and there are now three Sunday School teachers and about ten children in the Sunday School.

At Camp Joli-B, Tony formed a relationship with many young people who are not yet believers and who come from non-Christian homes. These young people are now part of the youth group in the church which now has an attendance of between 15 and 20 at their meetings on Friday evenings.

How can I be involved?

Tony and Nathalie feel somewhat isolated in Abitibi. They would appreciate:

• a note or phone call from time to time
• a visit
• our prayers. Check the church bulletin for specific requests

Contact Information

Financial support for the Bissonnettes should be sent to:

News of Quebec
Casier postal 1054
Sherbrooke, QC
J1H 5L3
Dont forget to specify: Fonds Réseau - support for Tony Bissonnette.

To contact Tony and Nathalie directly:
Email: tony.bissonnette@tlb.sympatico.ca
Telephone and address: please contact someone from the Global Outreach Team