VINCENT & CAROLINE LEMIEUX
WHO ARE VINCENT AND CAROLINE?
Vincent and Caroline were both born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. They have been members of l’Assembléé Chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda since 2012, and that is where they were baptized and married, where they have been involved and have grown and continue to grow in Christ and in the service of the Lord. Vincent and Caroline now (at the end of November 2022) have three young children: two boys, Noam (8) Mael (6) and their new sister, Ali-Jade (2 1/2).
VINCENT’S TESTIMONY
Vincent Lemieux-Mercier is (with his twin) the last in a family of five children. Having grown up in a non-religious context, he grew up with no knowledge of Jesus and the Bible. In his teens, wanting to be accepted and liked by others, he started to take drugs and the focus of his life was in finding pleasure. Vincent believed that he was in control of himself and that he would be able to stop when he decided to, but time proved the contrary. He was more and more wrapped up in drugs and this began to increasingly destroy all aspects of his life. Several times he tried to change and to stop, but he was totally unmotivated because of this belief that began in his youth: what does it matter to have a good life, a family, children, a good job and retirement if I die at the end, and could even die tomorrow? It was when he was completely overcome by lies and drugs that the Lord called Vincent to himself. By a series of divine circumstances, Vincent was invited to a group of young Christian adults, where he heard the gospel and the Lord humbled his heart and led him to repentance and faith. Right away his heart and his life were completely transformed.
CAROLINE’S TESTIMONY
Caroline Lacerte is the oldest of three children. Like Vincent, Caroline did not grow up in a religious context and to her, the existence of Jesus was an impossibility. She left home at about 16 years old: caught up in a world of alcohol, drugs and theft, she was looking for pleasure and intimacy. Ever since she was a child, Caroline always struggled with anxiety which led to several major depressions between the ages of 20 and 27. Later, when she was following a New Age guru and using positive thinking in order to manage her life, she experienced another profound depression. She was without hope and wanted to die, but since she was too afraid of death, she felt trapped. It was then that she cried out these words in despair to a God she didn’t know: ‘I don’t know if you exist, but if you do exist, I must have made a lot of mistakes, so please forgive me and help me.’ God was gracious to her and led her to Christians who shared the gospel with her. The Lord revealed himself to her and transformed her life, her heart and her desires, giving her a new life full of hope.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Vincent and Caroline knew each other well before their conversions, so they grew together in their faith. They were married soon after, in April 2012. The same year they were baptized and joined l’Assemblée Chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda (l’ACRN). During the first years they were involved in Christian camps, young peoples’ groups, and Bible classes. They read a lot of good Christian books, heard many sermons and attended conferences in order to deepen their knowledge of the Bible.
CALL TO THE MINISTRY
Since he was first converted, Vincent had a burden for the proclamation of the riches of the Word of God. The senior pastor of the ACRN, Tony Bissonnette, took him under his wing to mentor and train him. Because of this, Vincent had many opportunities to develop his gift for evangelisation and preaching the Word of God, both at the ACRN and elsewhere. In 2017 the ACRN asked him to become an elder, and when Tony left in the summer of 2018, they asked Vincent to replace him as the senior elder. Vincent left the construction industry in order to give himself to the ministry full-time.
Assemblée chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda
www.ac-rn.net
For information on l’ACRN please click on the link.
We have partnered with l’Assemblée Chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda (l’ARCN) since 2007 for the purpose of mutual encouragement and support. For the first 11 years, Tony and Nathalie Bissonnette were pastoring the church, and two other assemblies were also started in the area. There have been visits between our churches from time to time. Since Tony’s move to another church in Beauport, Quebec in 2018, Vincent and Caroline have taken over the pastoring responsibility. One of Vincent’s major goals is to develop leadership within the church and to that end he is has made training of men a priority. Caroline is a special help and support for Vincent. She is involved in counselling sessions and childrens’ education in the assembly.
How can I be involved?
Vincent and Caroline would appreciate:
• a note, email, phone or video call from time to time
• a visit
• our prayers both at home and at the Missions Prayer meeting where regular updates will be given.
Church address :
Assemblée Chrétienne de Rouyn-Noranda 35 av. Frédéric-Hébert, Rouyn-Noranda, J9X 1V9
Church phone : (819)764-9366
Church website : www.ac-rn.net
Financial support for Vincent Lemieux should be sent to:
News of Quebec
CP 33039 CP Thibeau,
Trois-Rivières, (Québec)
Canada G8T 9T