On Sunday, March 23, Rev. Fred Marius was installed as the new District Superintendent of the France District by General Superintendent Dr. Carla Sunberg and Regional Director Dr. Mark Louw. He succeeds Rev. Joseph Toguyera, who served for ten years as the first French national District Superintendent.

Rev. Marius first came to France in 1988 at the age of 21, shortly after completing his military service on his home island of Martinique. What began as a vacation turned into something more—after living in Paris for six months, he was offered a job and decided to stay. He was first introduced to the Church of the Nazarene in 1991, when a childhood friend invited him to a wedding celebration where he met Pastor Noêl Alvès. At the time, Marius was part of a small praise and prayer group, and the Nazarene church made space available for them to meet in their building. From there, he offered his gifts in service to the church through music, which eventually led to greater responsibilities and by 1995 he became a member of the church.

Throughout his years of service on the France District, Marius has served as senior pastor of the “La Vie Éternelle Jn.17.3” church since 2005. He also served as a member of the District Advisory Board and as was District Treasurer from 1999 to 2012. He was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 2022 and continues to serve bi-vocationally as pastor of the church in Torcy.

Marius is married to Mary-Odile, and they have two grown children. Outside of his ministry, he enjoys gardening, DIY projects, watching soccer and the Tour de France on TV, running, and sharing family meals and barbecues.

In looking towards the future of the France district, Rev. Marius shares, “As I have seen in in my personal journey, God uses the things that don’t always catch the eye, but looks at the heart and life of our churches. Some of our churches are not just holding out for better days, but innovating, projecting themselves forward and forging ahead in the midst of difficult times. There’s also the interest that our members are showing in belonging to the Church of the Nazarene, which isn’t necessarily the closest church to their home, but the church where they can better live their faith and where they can put their gifts to good use in service to God.”