A Warm Welcome to Giovanni Bernardini

We are glad that we can welcome a Waldensian minister in training.  Giovanni has written this biography for you. Please make him welcome and be  kind to him. 

My name is Giovanni Bernardini, and I  am a member of the Waldensian Church in Italy. Last June I graduated in  Theology at the Waldensian Faculty of Theology in Rome with a thesis on  “Restorative Justice” and on which models can be applied to our congregations.

I grew up in Turin in a family where faith and the church have always been  present thanks to the commitment of my father, as a Waldensian pastor, and my mother who works on ecclesiastical projects both nationally and  internationally. 
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After graduating in Social Sciences, and having worked for some years in Turin, I decided to enrol in the Facoltà Valdese di Teologia in Rome.  During this time of study I had the opportunity to get to know and preach  in various Church communities in Italy, thus starting my path towards  ministry and pastoral care. This in turn led me to be interested issues related to practical theology and liturgy.​

My studies have also been enriched by the preparation of a series of  lessons on worship and liturgy with Prof. Hiltrud Stahberger Vogel and, by  three years of collaboration with pastor Luca Negro at the Baptist  communities of Albano Laziale and Grosseto. 

As for my pastoral experiences, these have taken me to the Waldensian  Church of Verona during the summer. Here I got to stand in for the pastor  and I was able to carry out ministry and biblical studies within a  multicultural context. This was a new and highly stimulating world for me.  Another important experience was being locum pastor for six months at  the Waldensian Church of Vasto. 

In 2018 I carried out international activities by participating in the  Protestant Forum for Young Theology in Europe. This was entitled "Taking  responsibility, give hope, being visible" organized by the Community of  Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) and the Evangelischer Bund Hessen.  I also took part in the international volunteering project promoted by the  AIESEC association entitled “woman in Power (UN global goal gender  equality). 

I am looking forward to spending time here in Edinburgh and meeting both members of the MUC congregation and people from further afield.