Serving in Cowansville Introducing new missionaries Éric and Sonia Leblanc Jesus said, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). These words have a special resonance for Éric Leblanc. As a young man he delved into spiritualism and the occult. He developed a fascination with death and frequently had nightmares related to spirits. In February 1996, immediately after his conversion at age 23, he lost all interest in these things and became preoccupied with life, especially his new life in Christ. He first heard the gospel from a Christian couple giving their testimony at a weekend conference. Éric says, “Although I did not fully grasp the message, I realized that they were speaking the truth.” He responded to a public invitation to accept Christ and he received a New Testament. Then three people from the French Baptist church in Granby visited him. That is when he truly understood the gospel and came to Christ. He began attending the Granby church where he grew in his faith. From the very beginning of his Christian walk, Éric felt the desire to serve the Lord. When he read John 21:15-17 during a time of personal devotions, he felt the Lord was asking him the same questions Jesus was asking Peter in this passage. Like Peter, Éric answered that he too would care for God’s flock. His training for ministry began in the Granby church under Pastor Richard Houle and continued under Pastor Simon Bélanger in Cowansville. He is pursuing theological training with SEMBEQ as a member of the cohort in Sherbrooke.  Éric is married to Sonia since July 14, 2001. Their son Samuel was born on February 24, 2006. Sonia grew up in a Christian family in Granby where she attended a different church. Although she understood the basic message of the gospel as a young girl, it took many years before she had the assurance of her salvation. Sonia never thought she would marry a pastor and resisted at first, but gradually God changed her heart. Now she says, “I want to be a good wife for my husband and support him in the work God has given him to accomplish.” Éric is excited about the new challenge of becoming the main pastor at the church in Cowansville where he will gradually be taking over more responsibilities in the coming months. This should be a smooth transition for the Leblancs and for the church since Éric has been serving there for the last four years alongside Simon Bélanger. In September 2007, Simon will replace Richard Houle as Pastor at Église Évangélique Baptiste de la Haute-Yamaska in Granby. Richard Houle will then devote his time to overseeing the four daughter works of the Granby church and supervising the church planters in Cowansville, Saint-Césaire, Saint-Liboire and Waterloo.