The Greatest Escape: How one French community saved thousands of lives from the Nazis - A Good Place to Hide Read Online Free Page B
the pastors of the Protestant churches 2 of the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon.
• • •
Charles Guillon was born in Paris on 15 August 1883, in humble circumstances. He came from a family of
concierges
, that unique French combination of receptionist, porter and nightwatchman without which no French apartment building could function. His family was poor, but his parents believed in education, so Charles stayed in high school until he was seventeen. He was a bright student and wanted to become an architect. However, university was out of the question for someone from such a poor family, so architecture was put on hold while he looked for a job. Though he was an agnostic at the time, he nevertheless made a beeline for the UCJG building in the Rue de Trévise, near Montmartre in Paris. UCJG stands for Union Chrétiennede Jeunes Gens, or Christian Union of Young People; in other words, he headed for what we call in English the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), Paris branch.
The YMCA was founded in Britain in 1844 to help young men who had recently moved from the countryside to the city as a consequence of the industrial revolution. The organisation quickly spread to Canada, the United States and Europe. Today it is seen mostly as an international chain of youth hostels, offering cheap and very basic accommodation to backpackers. But in 1900, when Charles started working for the organisation, the YMCA’s Christian, Protestant and puritan roots still ran deep. In the 50 years since its foundation it had grown into a large and genuinely international organisation, and it held camps and conferences, both national and international, where Christian topics were discussed and promoted. It was also hugely influential in the ecumenical movement, which sought to unite the Christian churches. For the young Charles Guillon, though, none of this mattered: the big attraction for him was the UCJG’s gymnasium and, even better, its indoor swimming pool, the only one in Paris at the time. The UCJG was his first port of call on his job hunt, and they offered him a job straight away, as a secretary.
The UCJG had a profound impact on Guillon. Within a year he had given up his agnosticism and converted to Christianity. He also gave up his ambition to become an architect. Instead he chose to study at the Paris Faculty of Theology in Boulevard Arago, in effect the University of Protestantism in France. He kept his strong connection with the UCJG, and attended the odd national and international conference on behalf of the Paris branch. Here he got to know key people in the international organisation, including its founder, Sir George Williams, by then a very old man.
After completing his theology studies, Guillon became a key figure in the running of the Paris UCJG. It was no small task. There was a boarding school to manage, plus endless conferences, meetings andsporting events to organise, Bible study groups to attend and run, even the launch of the first-ever French Boy Scout troop. By then Guillon had married, and he seemed set for a spectacular rise in the world YMCA organisation, and particularly within the European UCJG, with its headquarters in Geneva.
In 1914, war broke out. Guillon abandoned the Paris UCJG (and his young wife), and for four years served as chaplain to the French 13th Army Corps. When war ended, Guillon returned to his wife, but not to the UCJG. He decided instead to look for a parish that would accept him as pastor. He arrived with his wife at Saint-Agrève, on the Plateau, in the spring of 1919.
It was a tough first assignment—the area was listless, with an ageing population, and with 60 very recent widows, their husbands killed in the war. With furious energy, Guillon set about reviving the parish. He personally visited every family. He restored the church, galvanised the parishioners into action, and within four years had things humming. He still found time to take part in international conferences
• • •
Charles Guillon was born in Paris on 15 August 1883, in humble circumstances. He came from a family of
concierges
, that unique French combination of receptionist, porter and nightwatchman without which no French apartment building could function. His family was poor, but his parents believed in education, so Charles stayed in high school until he was seventeen. He was a bright student and wanted to become an architect. However, university was out of the question for someone from such a poor family, so architecture was put on hold while he looked for a job. Though he was an agnostic at the time, he nevertheless made a beeline for the UCJG building in the Rue de Trévise, near Montmartre in Paris. UCJG stands for Union Chrétiennede Jeunes Gens, or Christian Union of Young People; in other words, he headed for what we call in English the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), Paris branch.
The YMCA was founded in Britain in 1844 to help young men who had recently moved from the countryside to the city as a consequence of the industrial revolution. The organisation quickly spread to Canada, the United States and Europe. Today it is seen mostly as an international chain of youth hostels, offering cheap and very basic accommodation to backpackers. But in 1900, when Charles started working for the organisation, the YMCA’s Christian, Protestant and puritan roots still ran deep. In the 50 years since its foundation it had grown into a large and genuinely international organisation, and it held camps and conferences, both national and international, where Christian topics were discussed and promoted. It was also hugely influential in the ecumenical movement, which sought to unite the Christian churches. For the young Charles Guillon, though, none of this mattered: the big attraction for him was the UCJG’s gymnasium and, even better, its indoor swimming pool, the only one in Paris at the time. The UCJG was his first port of call on his job hunt, and they offered him a job straight away, as a secretary.
The UCJG had a profound impact on Guillon. Within a year he had given up his agnosticism and converted to Christianity. He also gave up his ambition to become an architect. Instead he chose to study at the Paris Faculty of Theology in Boulevard Arago, in effect the University of Protestantism in France. He kept his strong connection with the UCJG, and attended the odd national and international conference on behalf of the Paris branch. Here he got to know key people in the international organisation, including its founder, Sir George Williams, by then a very old man.
After completing his theology studies, Guillon became a key figure in the running of the Paris UCJG. It was no small task. There was a boarding school to manage, plus endless conferences, meetings andsporting events to organise, Bible study groups to attend and run, even the launch of the first-ever French Boy Scout troop. By then Guillon had married, and he seemed set for a spectacular rise in the world YMCA organisation, and particularly within the European UCJG, with its headquarters in Geneva.
In 1914, war broke out. Guillon abandoned the Paris UCJG (and his young wife), and for four years served as chaplain to the French 13th Army Corps. When war ended, Guillon returned to his wife, but not to the UCJG. He decided instead to look for a parish that would accept him as pastor. He arrived with his wife at Saint-Agrève, on the Plateau, in the spring of 1919.
It was a tough first assignment—the area was listless, with an ageing population, and with 60 very recent widows, their husbands killed in the war. With furious energy, Guillon set about reviving the parish. He personally visited every family. He restored the church, galvanised the parishioners into action, and within four years had things humming. He still found time to take part in international conferences
Readers choose
John Mitchell
Sadie Matthews
Carolyn Keene
Hazel Edwards
Noreen Ayres
Stephanie Bond
David Gibbins
Jim Bell
Parker Ford
Gail Ingis