“French Guiana, having been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above!”
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.(Colossians 3:1,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | America
Population | 300,000
Area | 86,504㎢ Located on the northeastern coast of South America, bordering Suriname and Brazil on the North Atlantic Ocean.
Capital City | Cayenne (190,000 people)
People groups | Total 22 Groups, French Guiana Creole (Afro-Caribbean) 39%, Haitian 8%, French 8%, Aucas 7%, Guiana Caucasian 6.7%, Surinamese Creole 5.7%, Chinese Hakka 5%, Indian 4%
People Groups Unreached | 1 (1.5% of the population)
Offical Language(s) | French, Creole French Guianese
Total Languages | 21
Bible translations | Compeleted 8, New Testament 7, Partial 4
Religion | Christian 81.1% (Protestant 7%, Catholic 70%), Ethnic religion 6.7%, Non-religious 5.9%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.4% Evangelical 5.7% 16,000 people
》 About French Guiana
French Guiana saw the arrival of French settlers starting in 1604, with organized settlement beginning in 1664. Under the Treaty of Breda in 1667, France, the Netherlands, and England divided and governed the region. In 1852, France built a penal colony there, infamous as a place of exile until 1952, including the “Devil’s Island” prison featured in the movie Papillon. In 1946, French Guiana became part of France as a regional administrative division after colonial laws were abolished. In 1964, the Guiana Space Centre was established in Kourou, making it a key hub for France and the EU’s space industries.
French Guiana’s economy, gold mining, which began in 1854, became the primary export as global gold prices increased after the 1970s. The space industry, based at the Kourou Space Centre, is now the second-largest source of income, serving as the world’s largest commercial satellite launch site, responsible for more than half of all geostationary satellite launches. Forestry, supported by over 90% of the land being covered in rainforest, is another key resource. Although French Guiana benefits from French financial aid and enjoys a higher standard of living than neighboring countries, it struggles with high unemployment and significant income inequality.
French Guiana’s GDP per capita is approximately $20,900.
》 Scripture Focus
| Colossians 3:1-5, 12-14(NIV) 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the LORD forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. |
》 Prayer Points
1. Let us give thanks that the evangelical population in French Guiana has continued to grow, reaching 16,000 people, or 5.7% of the population. Pentecostal and independent house churches have seen growth among Creoles and various minority groups, with numerous churches also being established among the Amerindian tribes such as the Carib and Galibi. While Catholicism represents 70% of the population, its practices are often hindered by tradition and custom. And the spread of secularism led to moral decline, increased births outside marriages, and a rise in single-parent households.
Pray that the Church will be filled with the gospel of the cross, leading to transformed lives and a deeper commitment to prayer and evangelism. Let us intercede that French Guiana will die and rise again with Christ, seeking things above rather than earthly desires.
2. Churches and missionary organizations such as Pentecostal, Baptist, Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA), Nazarene Church, and Brethren Assemblies are serving Haitians (25,000), Amerindian tribes, Latin American immigrants, undocumented workers, and Asians from China (15,000), Laos, and India (12,000). The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) is actively sharing and training students in the gospel on campuses through the “Union for Bible Studies.”
Pray that the tribes and groups who hear the gospel through these churches and organizations will put to death immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry through the cross, and be made holy.
3. The Hmong people (4,600) from Laos are among the least evangelized unreached people group. Amerindian tribes such as the Wayana (1,000), Wayampi (800), and Emerillon (400) are hearing the gospel through the Global Recordings Network (GRN). The Suriname Tribal Mission is ministering to animist groups like the Auka (23,000), Boni, and Saramaka (3,200). Additionally, the gospel needs to reach French and European scientists working in space research centers and the Chinese population dominating small-scale market economies.
Pray that churches and mission groups will clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience as they witness to each group. Thus, let us pray that they bear with one another and forgive each other, putting on love with all these virtues, and building the Church as one body in Him.
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