Cornerstone CORNERSTONE_193_website_24 | Page 17

Cornerstone No. 193, page 17 “It’s very early stages yet, but I see no reason why we can’t have regular worship events at different places throughout Scotland. “It will take time to work out what an online-offline worshipping congregation will require. So initially I will not be seeking to carry out weddings or funerals. This however may change as opportunities for mission and pastoral care become evident. However Sanctuary First has the ability to be linked with every congregation, and local congregations may well find that Sanctuary First are passing on to them people who live in their area who have expressed an interest in faith.” He emphasises that he is not aiming to compete with local churches but to ‘augment and help’ them. “We shouldn’t be seen as a lazy man’s church, that’s not what it’s about. Sanctuary First users are either church attenders who find our material good, or people who cannot get to church and are able to connect in this way. And we are going to build on that.” From the magazine of the Church of Scotland Hello from the Tomkinsons In May we said goodbye to the Scots Kirk after fourteen years of calling this our church home. We are now back in North Yorkshire and, thanks to the vagaries of the Jet Stream, are enjoying Swiss summer weather! We would like to say a big thank you to all of you for the time we shared with you. We have such happy memories of making good friends, of the Sunday school and youth work leading to our daughter’s confirmation, of church weekends, ski Sundays, concerts, the candlelit Christmas service, the bazaar and, of course, worshipping together on Sunday mornings. We wish you well as you plan for the future. Our “old” church, the Methodist Church in Richmond, has welcomed us back. They have recently welcomed another couple just returned from the Lac Leman area! We are looking forward to seeing you all again – we will definitely be returning to Switzerland for holidays. Paul and Rachel Tomkinson