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 July/August 2026
In Bilbao International Church during the summer, they are doing a special sermon series called “Summer with the Psalms.” During the summer, the BIC congregation is a lot smaller than during the year, due to a lot of students returning home and people travelling during this time. Pray for those who remain in the city, that they will be encouraged as they look at the Psalms together and enjoy fellowship and support despite the smaller numbers.
19th-26th July: GBE Camp takes place in Albacete and is for high school students. The main speaker is Josué Enfedaque, a pastor, writer, YouTuber and content creator who focuses on young people and teenagers in Spain. He is known for his pastoral work in Mallorca and Menorca, as well as for publishing literary works. Pray for the high school students who attend this camp, that it would be an encouraging time of fellowship and learning from God’s Word.
20th-27th July: GBU camp takes place in Cordoba. This is a camp for students aged 17-26. The visiting speaker is Peter Dray, pastor of Redeemer Church in Leeds. He has also worked for UCCF for 20 years, so has plenty experience in student ministry. The theme of the camp is “Acts: to every corner of the campus.” He will speak on the following topics:
Faith and Culture, Faith and Work, Proclamation, and the Bible. There will also be various seminars based around these themes.
Pray for the students as they explore the book of Acts and look at the lives of the disciples during this revolutionary period following Jesus’ resurrection and learn how they took the gospel to every corner. They will explore how they can do the same 2,000 years later, connecting with the reality of university life today. Pray also for Ana Runda (who is the new GBU Staff worker in Bilbao) as she leads a seminar on “Faith and Work”.
Prayer points
- BIC during the summer months that despite small numbers, the members would be encouraged and enjoy fellowship together.
- The GBE Camp, that it would be a time of spiritual growth and fellowship.
- The GBU Camp as they learn from the book of Acts, that God would light a fire in them to reach all the corners of their campuses.
Mission report archive
Download a printable PDF of this and other recent bulletins below.