Photo by Luis Desiro on Unsplash

Dear La Côte family and friends

Do you like mysteries? Perhaps you like to solve riddles or work out the identity of the criminal in a detective novel? The author of our reading from Ephesians this Sunday seems overly keen on mysteries and even writes about them in a way that is difficult to understand! Fortunately, he doesn’t leave us in the dark but explains that the mystery hidden for ages in God is that Jews and Gentiles have an equal status before God. At the time, this was a shocking revelation because, from a Jewish perspective, Gentiles were very ‘other’, unclean and unacceptable to God and were to be kept well away from – but we read that Gentiles became heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Christ broke down barriers and taboos during his life on earth and encourages us to do the same, so when we come across groups that use Christian imagery and symbols yet advance a nationalist or racist agenda, we can be confident that something is deeply wrong. Since we are fortunate in this region to have contact with people from all over the world, I think you might appreciate this prayer:

O God,
you created all people in your image.
We thank you for the astonishing variety
of races and cultures in this world.
Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of friendship,
and show us your presence
in those who differ most from us,
until our knowledge of your love is made perfect
in our love for all your children;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

- From the Lutheran Book of Worship: Minister's Desk Edition

Louise Burrows

Worship this Sunday

Worship coming up

PLEASE NOTE - If you are unable to attend one of our main services but would like Holy Communion or private prayer in person, please contact Carolyn Cooke or Betty Talbot.

La Côte Annual Community Day - 17 January 2026

Everyone is welcome to this community day to enjoy friendship, food and fellowship with thoughtful teaching and engaging activities. This is a great opportunity as a stepping stone of hope into 2026 where we look to God’s guidance and renewal.

Please register by contacting Liz Bramley by 11 January

Sermon and Slides from service on  28 December 16.00 Gingins

Please go to our website resources page here to find the respective links.

Coming up next week

Morning Prayer

Monday to Friday at 7.30 and Saturday at 8.30 - online

Here is the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84315258948?pwd=WWZaMTRzZEpnNHV3ekZYRFRUYU96Zz09

Meeting ID: 843 1525 8948 - Passcode: 82966

The weekday Zoom's will pause from Friday 19 December and will restart Monday 5 January.  Saturday's are now on pause until 10 January.

La Côte Playgroup - Wednesday 7 January

9.30-11.30 Divonne Parish Rooms 
The La Côte playgroup welcomes all caregivers with children aged 0-4 who would like to join us on Wednesday's, no sign up necessary. For more details contact playgroup@lacotechurch.ch

La Côte Blokes' dinner - Thursday 15 January

Thursday 19.30-22.00 - Nyon at the Prieuré next to the temple

For more details – contact David Cooke

For full details on all activities that our regular groups offer please visit our website

Children & Youth programmes 

For under 5's - monthly, messy and godly play sessions. Dates and more details here

For primary school age children - Sunday Club during the 10.00 service at the Divonne church on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, and during the 16.00 service at the Gingins church on the 3rd Sunday of the month.  Restarts Sunday 11 January 2026. More details here

For  youth - Youth Alpha Course - Restarts Sunday 11 January 2026 - see here for more details.

Online session with Joy - Exploring Jesus’ “I AM” sayings. Restarts 18 January 2026. See here for more details.

You can find more information on all our programmes here or contact Betty Talbot. 

Recent Happenings at La Côte!

If you would like to have a look at some photographs of recent happenings at La Côte Church please go to our website here

ChurchSuite

Services for January, February and March have been added to ChurchSuite! 

Next week I will be scheduling volunteers for the coming months and it would be very helpful if you could fill in any dates you would like to help, and also to add in your unavailabilities. Click HERE for how to do this or contact Liz.

It is very important that you check ChurchSuite on a regular basis to view when you are next serving and arrange to swap if you are no longer available. For further information, click HERE.

In the future we will also be sending out an email to all those scheduled for the coming month so that you have more notice to double check your availability or arrange a swap.

Happening Elsewhere

Ignatian Spirituality Community

If you would like someone to explore your spiritual life with and have a desire to deepen your relationship with God, then spiritual accompaniment could be for YOU! Click here to find out what the Ignatian Spirituality Community can offer you.

Growth in Prayer and Reflective Living Programme - registration open for course starting January 2026.  More details here or contact Louise Burrows.

Coup de Main / The Lost Food Project 
(combatting food waste)

Members of la Côte Church take part in a food bank in Nyon. Click HERE for more information and if you'd like to participate.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been bringing dried food and tins for distribution through the Wednesday food bank. We are very grateful for your generosity, especially as we now have more than 90 beneficiaries each week.

We are grateful for any of the following contributions:

Donations of pasta, rice, pulses (dried or tinned), tinned tomatoes and tinned fish (tuna, sardines or mackerel). If you attend church in Gingins, please leave any contributions at the back of the church. 

Alternatively, please contact Caroline Allsopp-Leitner  

Thank you once again.

From your safeguarding team

Your safeguarding team promotes and works towards keeping our church a safe place where our congregation can feel secure and cared for.

All information can found here

And you can come and talk to us - Cate Bichara and Liz Martinez

Contact email: Safeguarding@lacotechurch.ch

Pledging and Giving online and in person 

Many thanks as ever for your giving to the life of our church and thus to our mission and service within and well beyond our community.

Pledging gives stability to the church finances and ensures that budgets can be planned realistically. So however large or however small your commitment, please consider pledging. Contact our pledge administrator, Mark Warren (mark.warren@yahoo.fr) for further details.

If you are at church without any cash but would like to give to the collection there is a solution: we have a bank or credit card reader at church to contribute to the collection using your card.

Here are the bank details for our church:

IBAN            CH42 0022 8228 5504 9740 H
Holder          The La Côte Anglican Church Development Association, 1267 Coinsins 
BIC               UBSWCHZH80A

You can also do so by scanning the QR code below using your bank app.

You may also like to remember La Côte Anglican Church in your will.
Merci beaucoup, thank you very much!

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