Noemi Falla with
members of the congre-
gation.
the Philippines, Madagascar and Cameroon. Working with them has given me
the marvellous opportunity to learn how to mingle with different people from
different countries and to discover their various ways of worshipping, their
culture and the way they organise all their church activities. This has made
me understand that they can be a blessing for our churches, if only everyone
is open and able to receive and to be transformed by each others’ riches.
Ministering in those congregations has also taught me the meaning of
service: being a pastor is not just about doing things and activities, it is about
presence: being just present among people in whatever they do. This is one
of the best ways of showing love and care to them and to create communion.
In fact, I think that, in this historical time, it is very good for the church to
organise times of fellowship, where people can just be together, rejoice, eat,
have fun, in order to allow the Holy Spirit to come and kindle their faith. In
this way, it becomes easier to get to know people and to help them to find out
their talents in order to make them grow under the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ and being His disciples.
I am really grateful to the Lord for the gift of these past two years of ser-
vice and I pray that His grace and His mercy will follow me as I come closer
to the time of Ordination on 20 August.
I send my best regards and good wishes to you all.
Noemi Falla (Ordinand)
News from Scotland
Rev Monica Michelin-Salomon was born in Bobbio Pellice, attended Collegio Valdese
in Torre Pellice and learnt the first rudiments of what is now her excellent English
in the evening classes Richard taught in the late 1980s for the cultural club ARCI,
of which I was in charge during our period there. She then went on to study Theol-
ogy, was ordained and, after some years in Rome, she moved to Scotland, where she
leads Causeway Church Tollcross in the east end of Glasgow. In September 2016 she
delivered the ‘Time for Reflection’ speech at the opening of the Scottish Parliament.
4