Cornerstone CORNERSTONE_186_website_28 | Page 2

Cornerstone No. 186, page 2 Letter from the Interim Moderator Being a minister can be quite a lonely occupation… none of that water-cooler chat about the week-end with colleagues, or inter-changes various over lunch in the staff canteen. So, finding a good friend who understands from the inside how ministry works, and who can bring a sympathetic supportive friendship, is a great blessing. In my previous charge, in a small town in East Lothian, there were no fewer than 27 ministers who came and went in my time there – some of whom were easier to get along with than others, and some who simply wanted to do their own thing, and had little interest in anything beyond a token connection. It was a great delight, therefore, to find in Ian a warmth of welcome and a shared approach to ministry, that was mutually supportive and genuine, and I have appreciated, since very first contact, when he was interim Moderator for Geneva, and I was making tentative enquiries, his friendship, humour and wisdom. Which is why it is no hardship to return the favour, and serve as Interim Moderator at Lausanne, for the time being. I hope I can be as supportive to Ian as he was and has been to me. Ministry can be a lonely occupation, and the support, prayers, friendship and love of a congregation is a huge need and a huge blessing when it is given, and I’m sure Ian and Helen will have that from the congregation of fellow pilgrims who make up the church at Lausanne. Where better to draw strength, sustaining love and enfolding prayer, than the people who make the Christian journey with you? This is my first experience of living abroad, and there are and have been, important lessons to be learned about how people do things differently, about how busy some people are… and about how precious the connections with the life of the church are, how important worship and fellowship are for balance, direction and spiritual growth. It’s been wonderful so far to see the level of commitment and expertise within the life of the church, and to begin to unravel the stories that have brought people to Switzerland, and made them stay!