Tribute to Alain Normand, 1939–2021

Radio personality, pastor, evangelist, film producer, musician, writer…AlainNormandpassed away on June 29, 2021, at the age of 82.

Alainwas born on May 21, 1939, in the French city of Cannes, four years after his brother Guy and four months before the start of World War II. His father was called to arms. After being taken prisoner of war, he returned ill from a German camp and died a few months after the war ended.

Alainregularly accompanied his mother to an evangelical church, and at the age of twelve, he decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ. A year later, he moved to Geneva because his mother had remarried a Swiss man.

In Geneva,Alaindiscovers a new evangelical church. He earns a Federal Certificate of Competence (CFC) in administration, takes up the guitar, and wins a championship with a junior team at Servette Football Club.

In 1958,Alainbegan theological training in England at the International Bible Training Institute. Upon completing his training, he was summoned to the French Consulate in London to begin his military service in the French Army. Because he was a conscientious objector, he was enlisted as an unarmed paratrooper-medic. Trained in parachuting and nursing, he was deployed to war-torn Algeria, where he primarily cared for soldiers. This period gave him the opportunity to experience many human and spiritual adventures. He reflected deeply on this saying of Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

After being discharged from the military,Alainleft for Frankfurt. He wanted to learn German there, but also to learn to love the Germans in the name of Christ. There, he worked at an American bank, attended an evangelical church, and continued studying the guitar. Upon his return to Geneva, he decided to commit himself more radically to serving God. A friend from his church told him, “Radio Réveil in Lugano is looking for a staff member. You’re really cut out for this!”

Read his complete biography, written by Claude-Alain Baehler and published on July 4, 2021, on lafree.info

Listen to these four short stories produced by Alain Normand, taken from the Service Cassettes archives.