Moderator to visit Presbytery of Fife
Published on 21 September 2023 4 minutes read
The Moderator of the General Assembly is travelling to the Presbytery of Fife to see the work done by the Church of Scotland.
Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton said she is looking forward to the week-long trip, which will see her celebrate the history of the Church in Fife and attend a diverse range of events across the presbytery.
Presbytery visits provide the Moderator with an opportunity to offer encouragement and support to church members and the communities they serve.
Mrs Foster Fulton, who will be accompanied by her husband Rev Stuart Fulton, is expected to visit an army base, a pilgrimage site, a coffee morning for refugees, and a football game.
The trip will include a visit to Largo Parish Church, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary, where Mrs Foster-Fulton is set to preach.
Rev Dr David Coulter CB OStJ, Presbytery Clerk, said: "In the seventeen century John Bunyan wrote his famous hymn: ‘Who would true valour see, let him come hither.'
"From Saturday 23 September until Sunday 1 October the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Right Reverend Sally Foster Fulton, will 'come hither' on the first Presbytery Visit of her Moderatorial Year to Fife Presbytery.
"No doubt we will see 'true valour' as our Moderator and her husband Stuart, make this Pilgrimage of the Kingdom of Fife.
"We have already seen the Moderator's 'avowed intent' in the splendid way in which she embraced and chaired the General Assembly and we are very much looking forward to hosting the Moderator and her husband to Fife."
The Moderator will be welcomed to Fife Presbytery at a reception in Dysart St Claire Parish Church, Westport, Kirkcaldy on Saturday evening.
On the Sunday, Mrs Foster-Fulton will preach at a morning service at Markinch Church. Churches in the Glenrothes cluster of congregations will join in the service, with lunch after.
In the evening, the Moderator will preach at the 400th anniversary service at Largo Parish Church, with the Very Rev Dr Russell Barr taking the service.
Community-led change
The next day, Mrs Foster-Fulton will visit the Big Hoose Project in Lochgelly. This February, the project celebrated having given away over half-a-million essential products donated to families in need across Scotland.
The Moderator will then lunch at the Wellesley Centre, a community hub created by the Wellesley Parish Church in Methil. After eight years of fundraising, the parish was able to raise £500,000 and construction began in 2019 with the centre opening last year.
In the afternoon, the Moderator will join the Hope Chest delivery team to deliver furniture to a client in their first flat. The team supplies goods on a referral basis to people most in need in the Levenmouth area.
On Tuesday, the Moderator will visit the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and their families at their base in Leuchars followed by lunch in the officer's mess.
After, Mrs Foster-Fulton will tour the University of St Andrews Eden Campus at Guardbridge before visiting the university's chaplain's house. At the house, the chaplain Rev Donald McEwan will lead a monthly discussion group for staff exploring the Apostles' Creed.
Pilgrimage
On Wednesday, after morning prayers in Culross Abbey, the Moderator will set out in a group on the Pilgrim Way. The group will have a picnic lunch at Cairneyhill Church before continuing the route to Dunfermline.
There will then be an evening service at Abbotshall Church, Kirkcaldy where Mrs Foster-Fulton will preach. The Scratch Pilgrim Choir will be participating under leadership of Richard Michael, Organist at Abbotshall Church and visiting Professor of Jazz at the University of St Andrews.
On Thursday, the Moderator will visit the Scottish Rural College's Cupar campus to meet with staff and students with a focus on the college's sustainability courses.
After attending the St Ayle Lunch Club, run weekly by the congregation, Mrs Foster-Fulton will visit the Durie Estate at Leven, which has championed sustainable farming methods.
On Friday, the Moderator will visit the NHS Fife Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. Whilst in Kirkcaldy, she will meet the chaplaincy team and visit the maternity unit and the Kirkcaldy Foodbank.
In the afternoon the Moderator will meet with the Guilds together in Fife.
On Saturday, the Moderator will attend a coffee gathering at Cupar Old Parish Church. The coffee morning runs every Saturday and was started to give refugees living in Cupar the opportunity to meet together.
In the afternoon, Mrs Foster-Fulton will have lunch with the Directors of East Fife Football Club. The team chaplains and directors will then host a game.
On Sunday, the Moderator will preach at Tulliallan and Kincardine Church. After lunch at the church Mrs Foster-Fulton will meet with presbytery representatives to review her visit before her and Mr Fulton depart.
Mrs Foster-Fulton said: "Presbytery visits are pastoral in nature and allow moderators to experience the life of the Church in an area first-hand, including the diverse people, places, and initiatives our Church nourishes.
"I feel privileged to be able to meet people, visit places, and encourage the good works the Church is engaged in across the Presbytery of Fife.
"I will be very much in listening mode to hear people's concerns and aspirations, discuss the issues that they face and assure them all that they are held in our prayers.
"I look forward to seeing how we as a Church are making a difference in our communities today in the diverse challenges they face."
