About Us - A Brief History of the English Speaking Church (ESC)
Longstanding residents remember there being French-speaking church services in Verbier where English-speaking residents worshipped long before the establishment of the ESC.
In 1986 a winter chaplaincy programme started in Verbier. This was launched by Leslie Ratcliffe (who is still very much a member of the ESC) and the Reverend Sandy Millar (now Bishop Sandy) from Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London. It was initially run by Intercontinental Church Society (ICS) with active support from HTB but after 2 years handed over by ICS to Rev David & Shirley Steele. At this stage it was very low profile – no name and no publicity. The emphasis was on personal evangelism by the fortnightly chaplains.
In 2009 Andrew Baines & the late Reverend Tim Mullins were invited to take over the chaplaincy
programme by David Steele shortly before his death. They established a new identity for the chaplaincy programme by creating the English Speaking Church (ESC) Verbier. A new ESC Steering Group was formed.
From 2010 onwards the ESC slowly started to develop a higher local profile – new publicity, web site, corporate identity, etc. There was no change to the fortnightly model of chaplains, but improved communications and teamwork. Co-ordinated service themes were introduced. A greater level of ownership by local members of the congregation was achieved. The congregation continued to grow and there were increased numbers attending Christmas & Easter services.
In 2012 Christian Outreach in the Alps (CORA) was formed by Andrew Baines & Tim Mullins and registered with the UK Charity Commission as a new charity. Reverend Peter Goodwin Hudson became the first CORA Chairman. A close working relationship developed between ESC and CORA.
2015 onwards saw the creation of the ESC Committee formed (formerly the ESC Steering Group). Congregations continued to grow along with strong seasonal service themes. Fresh ESC ‘Vision, Mission and Objectives’ were drawn up by the Committee and an ESC Mission Action Plan (MAP) launched.
In January 2022 the ESC became a Swiss Association, a new legal entity, for administrative purposes. The affiliation with CORA continued.
In 2024 Andrew Baines stepped down and in his place Revd Will Pearson-Gee (the Rector of Buckingham, UK) was appointed as the ESC Chairman and Dr Mark Houghton (Director CORA) appointed to manage the chaplaincies.
The hope and prayer is that the chaplaincy programme in Verbier will be a catalyst and role-model for Christian outreach in other resorts in the Alps.
From the outset, our friends in the Swiss Reformed Church have kindly allowed us to use their chapel in Verbier for our services. The Little Church (as it is affectionately known) in Chemin du Temple serves as a centre for Christian worship and fellowship amid the hustle and bustle of this international ski resort.