chamonix protestant church

From the sea to the mountains, from the English Channel to Mont Blanc!

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Dear Friends,

Until now, with my wife Christine and our three boys, I have exercised my pastoral ministry by the sea: for twelve years in Charente-Maritime, in Rochefort and Saint-Jean-d'Angély. Then, for fourteen years, in Seine-Maritime, at the Church of Côte d'Albâtre-Caux-Seine. Now, the Lord's call leads me to join you in the mountains. It is with a certain excitement that I contemplate my move, for aren't we closer to God in the mountains? And isn't that true? What a wonderful feeling can come over us when we arrive at the top of a mountain, there, at the very top, and can admire majestic landscapes? It's true, at that moment, we feel lifted up, closer to God; all the worries of daily life seem far away.

It was on a mountain that three disciples of Jesus had a similar experience. They saw Jesus in the glory of the Son of God. There was no longer any doubt. It's no wonder Peter wanted to stay there, to build tents. We too have perhaps already had this experience: we are at the Desert Assembly, surrounded by hundreds, even thousands of brothers and sisters. The weather is beautiful, what is said in the service speaks to us, we are as if transfigured by that moment. No, there is no longer any doubt, Christ is risen, Christ is here! Yes, in those moments, everything seems obvious, doubts and questions disappear. But this, alas, does not last. At some point, we will have to join our buses, which will take us back to our local Church where we are few in number, we must descend from the mountain into the valley of the reality of our lives. And there, we rather experience our weakness, the weight of reality seems to prevail again over the truth of faith, glimpsed for a moment in our lives. However, dear friends, let us not forget an important detail: Christ does not remain on the mountain, he descends with his disciples into the valley of their lives, he stands by their side and comes to the aid of their lack of faith. Yes, the Lord accompanies us too! He is there with us too, in our failures, our problems, our sufferings, he knows our difficulties in living, loving, believing, hoping, trusting, but, tirelessly and faithfully, he stands by our side. Despite everything, he encourages us to try and try again! He is close to us everywhere and always, even in the dark valleys of our lives. It is precisely there, at the moment when we need Him most, that we can feel His presence, His peace, and His consolation.

Whether in good times or in more difficult times, we can trust in Christ! I look forward to living this promise with you, dear brothers and sisters of the Arve-Mont-Blanc community. I look forward to living with you these coming years, and, with you and the presbyteral council, to continuing to build your, our, community together!

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See you soon!

Pastor Volker KRÖNERT