Time For A Change

by Andrew Baines

As you may have already heard, I will be retiring as Chairman of ESC Verbier on 6 December. It has been a real joy for Janet and me to see how our unique Alpine church has developed during our sixteen year involvement, with the help of many others. We thank God for that and also for the many friends we have made in Verbier, and for the good times we have shared.

The new ESC Chairman will be Rev Will Pearson-Gee, who already knows Verbier well having been an ESC chaplain a number of times. He loves our church and all that we stand for; and he is really excited at the potential for even greater Christian outreach in Verbier and the local area. Will is currently Rector of Buckingham Parish Church. He and Lucia will be in Verbier from 30 January to 13 February and look forward to meeting up with old friends and making new ones.  

On 6 December I will also be retiring as Director of CORA (Christian Outreach in the Alps), the charity I formed in 2012 to be a catalyst for Christian activities in the Alps, including support to ESC by administering all aspects our ESC chaplains. CORA’s help over the years has proved to be a really valuable contribution to our unique church. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our chaplains who have supported ESC so strongly over the years and brought blessings to so many people through their services and pastoral work.  

The new CORA Director will be Dr Mark Houghton, a retired GP and experienced Christian lay man, who also knows ESC and Verbier very well. In addition to carrying on the chaplaincy support to ESC, he will also be seeking new opportunities for Christian outreach in the Alps. He and Esther will be in Verbier from 28 November to 5 December (with me), and later from 27 February to 13 March. They also look forward to meeting up with friends again and ensuring the chaplaincy team is fully supported, as always.