A message from Jeremy Burrows, in preparation for our Gift Day

All things come from you and of your own do we give you

1 Chronicles 29.14

Dear La Côte Church friends and family,

As we head towards Gift Day and our Thanksgiving service at Crassier at 16.00 on 15 June, we are thinking with gratitude of the many people and groups involved in the life of our church.

Our Church Council are pleased to be able to present short profiles of members of our congregation over the coming days, which we hope you will enjoy and find inspiring. Thank you to all who have contributed!

1. Please give your name & role.
Jeremy Burrows - Stephen Ministry Leader at la Côte Church.

2. How long have you been attending La Côte?
Not sure - I think 5-6 years.

3. How long have you been in this role?
I've been a Stephen Leader within Suisse Romande since 2016 after being trained on a week long course in Florida, USA. However, formally La Côte only became a Stephen Ministry congregation in early 2025. So I've been an official La Côte Stephen Leader for a few months.

4. What does this role involve?
The role involves several activities. Firstly, on receiving referrals for Stephen Ministry (which either come from Carolyn, Betty, directly to me or through unsolicited requests for help through the Stephen Ministry Suisse Romande website) I meet with people who feel they need support.

At the referral I assess whether Stephen Ministry is the appropriate type of support and, if so, liaise with the other Stephen Leaders to assign a Stephen Minister to care for the person. If not, I liaise with others at La Côte according to the Pastoral Care strategy.

I have conducted numerous referrals with people seeking help within La Côte and other churches in the region, and there are both Stephen Ministers and care receivers past and present at La Côte church.

Secondly, the role involves leading and managing Stephen Ministry within Suisse Romande and caring for our active team of Stephen Ministers. This is done with the support of the wonderful ecumenical group of leaders. We organise and conduct training of people who wish to become Stephen Ministers themselves. We organise care for those in need. We organise regular peer supervision meetings so that we care for our Stephen Minister care giving group of people.

As a Stephen Minister I also meet with care receivers myself. All of this is done confidentially.

5. How much time does this role take each week/ month?
We have supervision for 1.5h every two weeks (which involves preparation of 15 mins to write a check-in statement) and, on average, there is correspondence or another referral meeting between leaders requiring anything from between 30mins-1h every other week.

When training occurs (typically end of September to end of April - over 20 weeks) then there is an additional 2h training session every week involving substantial preparation for the person leading. Finally, I meet, on average for an hour with my care receivers every week.

6. What do you find fulfilling about this role?
It is a beautiful and moving ministry that has really motivated me in my faith. It's wonderful hearing people discuss their calling and willingness to learn to care for others, and to train them accordingly. It's also a privilege to be present with individuals facing real difficulties and crises in their lives, in particular because of their intense vulnerability and trust. This is a sacred responsibility but one that is not too great for us, because we are the care givers and Christ is the cure giver.

7. Finally, could you share a resource that you find encouraging or helpful in your Christian life?
I listen to pray as you go every day - it's just the right length and balance of contemplation, readings, challenge and space to pray: https://prayasyougo.org/. I'd also recommend Louise's blog which always beautiful, insightful, teaches me something new and challenges my pathetic frames of reference: https://innergarden.space/. A book that I'd recommend is "The powers that be" by Walter Wink - this totally opened my eyes 30 years ago when I read it and the impact is still there. https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Powers-That-Be-by-Walter-Wink/9780385487528
Louise introduced me to an incredible book on Jesus' parables which I also hugely recommend https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Kingdom-Grace-Judgment-by-Robert-Farrar-Capon/9780802839497

We would like to express our deep gratitude to so many of you who contribute to the mission of our church with your generous gifts of time, talents, and financial support.
This gift day forms a vital part of our finances. If you can contribute with an extra gift, here are the details of the church bank account:

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

If you would like to discuss regular giving, please contact Mark Warren.

Thank you very much for your kind contributions.

Finally, please take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we are to have all the positive things that our church life provides and to offer a prayer of thanksgiving.

From Jessica Chapman (La Côte Church Council member)

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