Special service to recognise and celebrate trainee ministers held at Bothwell Parish Church

A group of trainee ministers are standing on the "shoulders of the shoulders of the shoulders" of countless generations of people who followed the Lord.

The assessment was made by Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and she told Steven Owens, Eleanor Hamilton, Dawn Westwood, Jonathan Lyall and David McKee to "prepare for the world that God is dreaming into being".

The probationers are serving congregations across the Presbytery of Clydesdale and Forth Valley and are in the final stages of training for the ministry.

A special "Service of Recognition" was held at Bothwell Parish Church in South Lanarkshire yesterday and more than 200 people attended to recognise, celebrate, encourage and give thanks to God for the "Fabulous Five".

Creative imagination

Ms Foster-Fulton was the guest preacher.

She said: "You stand on the shoulders, not of giants, something much more powerful and profound than that.

"You stand on the shoulders of the shoulders of the shoulders of countless generations of people who answered when the Lord spoke.

"You are entering the Church today with all the challenges and opportunities it heralds.

"The strong foundations of love and justice and forgiveness and peace-building, (with) the ‘more-than-me' and ‘more than now' broader perspective to support you.

"But lean into learning and the now and the new insight - the creative imagination of people.

"In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves gracefully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

"Church of today, gather yourselves together and listen and learn and prepare for the world that God is dreaming into being."

Rev Iain Majcher is the convener of the presbytery's mission and care team and minister of Bothwell Parish Church.

Reflecting on the service, he said: "What a joy it was to see presbytery pause for a moment in the midst of Mission Planning and all the other asks on our time as we worshipped God, celebrated and marked this important milestone in the ongoing training of our probationers.

"The team is delighted to have seen this idea blossom into a reality and our thanks go to all who made it possible."

Celebrate the journey

Sharing her thoughts on the service, Rev Julie Rennick, presbytery clerk, added: "There was a genuine sense of joy and wonder.

"We heard the Moderator of the General Assembly encourage five probationers as they embark on the final stage of the training journey.

"Many recalled their own move from student to fledgling minister and the consensus among those who attended was, ‘why wouldn't we celebrate this moment on the journey?"

The next step of the probationer's journey will see them placed at -

Eleanor Hamilton. Trinity Church in Strathaven.

Jonathan Lyall. Burnside Blairbeth Church in Glasgow.

David McKee. Jackson Parish Church in Airdrie.

Steven Owens. St Thorlak's Community Church in Glasgow and Bellshill West Parish Church.

Dawn Westwood. Kirkton Church, Carluke.

Mrs Westwood and Mr Owens are both on remote supervision placements which means they are running the day-to-day affairs of vacant charges under the supervision of an interim Moderator and supervisor.