Derek & Jane French
Derek and Jane began serving with Grupos Bíblicos Unídos (GBU) in 2007. GBU is a Christian student organisation affiliated to the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. They are based in Bilbao in northern Spain.
Latest mission report
Derek and Jane’s mission work
The work of GBU principally involves evangelism among students and the discipling of Christian students. GBU’s vision is to reach all non-Christian students with the gospel and to develop student leadership which, in the future, should contribute to the growth of evangelical churches in Spain. GBU also seeks to contribute to the transformation of Spanish society through evangelical graduates and professionals who have been helped by GBU.
Derek and Jane are excited to be actively involved in a new project with the publishing branch of GBU (Andamio Kids). The project aims to provide resources for Sunday school teachers, youth leaders and devotional materials for children and teenagers. These resources will have a huge impact in developing young disciples in the Spanish speaking world. Many of the books are translated from English however, recently, Andamio Kids were thrilled to publish their first book written by a Spanish person. It is a devotional book that emphasizes God’s plan of redemption throughout Scripture.
Currently they are also heading up the Bilbao Team Project and have a team of 6, including Neil and Jenny Stewart (and family), who are also global mission workers. The vision of the team is to reach out to the community and plant a church in the area they live in.
Derek and Jane are also involved in local church ministry in Bilbao, serving in the Bilbao International Church (BIC) and working alongside the local Spanish church. Derek serves as the pastor of BIC, and Jane is part of the team ministry. Derek’s role is to oversee ministry and mission at BIC and their other ministry roles include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, Bible study groups, 121s, outreach and other initiatives. They are encouraged by ministry in both churches. Many non-Christians attend and their prayer is that they will soon respond to the gospel.
Derek and Jane met and got married when they were studying at Belfast Bible College, they have two children. They were commissioned for service in Spain at a service held in Drumbo Presbyterian, their home congregation, in January 2001. They served firstly in Valencia, Spain from February 2001 to 2007, working with the Levante Presbytery of the Spanish Evangelical Church (IEE).
Prayer points
- Pray for the Bilbao Team Project as they reach out to their community and plan to plant a church.
- Pray for Christian students to catch the vision of being evangelists and making disciples at university and that this would continue as they enter the working world and for good relationships between the student work and the local churches.
- Pray for full time staff workers to lead the work of GBU in the seven cites in the north of Spain.
- Pray for the work of Andamio Kids and the valuable resources they are providing for kids and families in the Spanish speaking world.
- Pray for the French family, that they will be a good witness in their community. Pray too for their children, that they will grow up to have a vibrant personal relationship with God.
Derek and Jane have recorded a short film clip which can be downloaded and used in church services, prayer meetings or events to raise awareness and prayer for what God is doing across the world, as we seek to go deep and wide in global mission involvement.
Latest report September 2026
Bilbao International Church kicks off the autumn season with a series of sermons in Genesis, following the life of Joseph. They have also provided families with a series of devotions to do during the week that function alongside the sermon series. Pray for BIC members and families that they will learning about the importance of trusting God in all circumstances, even during times when it is challenging and maybe they don’t understand what is happening. September is a month of new beginnings and BIC often sees new students and families coming to the church during this month. We hope they would immediately find a warm family welcome at the church and be able to get involved in the life of the church.
The various discipleship groups in BIC will resume this month. Pray that people would get connected to a group and be committed to coming, so they can learn from God’s word and encourage others.
18-20 September: Derek will be at the GBU Executive Committee Weekend. Pray for the committee as they meet, that God would give wisdom and clear guidance as they make various decisions. Give thanks for the work of GBU throughout Spain and pray for a new term that Christian students would easily connect with their GBU group and be a strong witness for Christ on Campus. Many of the students will have attended the GBU summer camp, where they were challenged through teachings on the book of Acts, to reach out to “all the corners of their campus”.
Prayer points
- BIC as they learn together about trusting God from the book of Genesis.
- New people coming to BIC that they will settle in well and feel at home the BIC community.
- The discipleship groups that resume this month, pray for enthusiasm and commitment.
- The GBU executive committee as they meet in September.
- Pray for Ana Runda as she raises her support to become a GBU Staff worker in Bilbao and other parts of Northern Spain. Pray that many would get behind her financially and in prayer.
- Pray for the work of GBU in Bilbao and for Ana and Aida as they seek to lead and guide the students in the Basque Country.
Mission report archive
Download a printable PDF of this and other recent bulletins below.