Dear Friends

Introducing Pastor Bernie and Mrs. Karen Holford

Pastor Bernie Holford has been called to take up the role of President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Scotland, following Karin’s and my departure. He will also be the Pastor of our faith community in Crieff. He and his wife Karen have three children; Bethany (Married to Tim Craggs in 2008), Nathan (Studying physics in London) and Joel (16)

Bernie’s initial call came out of an evangelistic campaign and that, coupled with God’s direction in his life led him into ministry in the church. In recent years he has been the Family Life Director of the South England Conference. Before coming to work at the SEC, he worked in various positions in his service for God – as a Pastor, a Coach and a Therapist. His aim has been to help individuals set and reach the goals they are looking for and encourage them to realise that God wants them to achieve these goals too!

Karen has been working as the Assistant to Bernie Holford in the Family Ministries Department. She handles a lot of the writing element in their work for families and her role as assistant includes preparation for campaigns, seminars and events such as the Lone Parent or Family Camps held in Cornwall each year. Karen is thrilled to be able to plan and participate in children’s work, calling it ‘exciting’ because of the amazing levels of creativity that children allow themselves to express. She enjoys working with themes and crafts in many ways, using ‘fun things to increase children’s spirituality’.

Karen holds an MA in Education and Development Psychology and has authored a number of books including ‘100 Creative ideas for Sabbath’, ‘The Family Book: Creative Ideas for Families’ and ‘Muddy Fingers and Sticky Feet: Help for Mums Under Pressure’. Bernie is currently studying for his Phd. Unfortunately Bernie’s commitments, including some weeks at Andrews University in the USA working on his doctorial studies, mean he will not be in Scotland until toward the end of August.
They clearly bring great talent to their role as President and Pastor. I believe they will be a huge blessing to the church in Scotland and it is my prayer that the church family here in Scotland will embrace them and treat them with even more love than we have been privileged to enjoy.

Bernie will take over the role of President on the weekend of the Session, 21 June 2009. Plans are that Karin and I will leave for Egypt at the beginning of September.

Llewellyn Edwards