Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Rosie Frew, pictured above, has completed the first stage of a two-part visit to Scotland’s largest presbytery area.The five-day visit took her to both island and mainland parishes, including the island of Iona (Eilean ì), seen by many as the cradle of Scottish Christianity and the inspiration for the name of the Presbytery of the Highlands and Hebrides, Clèir Eilean ì.
Mrs Frew’s trip also took in a boat journey to the remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula, as well as the island of Mull while other mainland locations on her itinerary included Dunoon, Kames, Strone, Inveraray, Oban, Morvern and Fort William.
Mrs Frew pointed out that this is only a small part of Clèir Eilean ì, which covers 40 per cent of Scotland’s landmass.
“I am interested in hearing how such a big presbytery by geography is settling in, as well as looking forward to meeting colleagues, elders and church folk and hearing their stories,” Mrs Frew said previous to her departure.
“It is a very different setting from what I’ve experienced personally in ministry.
“I am also looking forward to sharing in worship in a series of local churches where I will be preaching on my theme of Extravagant Love, aiming to bring both encouragement and challenge.
“As part of my visit, I will enjoy meeting people in a range of settings, including care homes, church projects and places of interest, but one of the most enjoyable aspects will be presenting many long service certificates. I sign lots of these every week and it’s lovely to hand some out and personally give thanks for long years of commitment to the life and work of the church.”
Although Mrs Frew spent the majority of her ministry career in Fife before moving to her current charge in the Borders, she is returning to a familiar part of the country.
“We’ve spent a bit of time on holiday in Mull and did a lot of walking there during the pandemic,” she revealed.
“I love Iona. It will be good to visit there again, if only briefly.”
Mrs Frew and her husband Dave will be travelling with the recently appointed Presbytery Moderator, Rev Janet K. MacKellar, who is very much on home territory as someone born in Dunoon and brought up on the Cowal Peninsula.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome the Moderator to my home town and villages. We are all very excited. The icing on the cake is that I will then tour with her around some of my favourite places.
“The Moderator can expect to visit some of the most beautiful parishes in Scotland, and to meet some wonderful people along the way. This is very much about celebrating our new presbytery and showcasing some of the wonderful initiatives and partnership working that are common place in this part of the world.”
Beginning in Dunoon, where she spent the night ahead of her busy programme, Mrs Frew visited King’s Court rehabilitation centre in Tighnabruaich before lunch at the Shore Kirk, followed by a visit to the historic village of Kilmun on the north shore of the Holy Loch in the afternoon.
After meeting local clergy for dinner, she finished the day off with an evening service at Cowal Kirk where Mrs Frew will be guest preacher.
On Friday she visited a sheltered housing complex in Inveraray on her way to Oban where she enjoyed an ecumenical lunch and was introduced to the work of local charity Hope Kitchen before an evening praise service at Oban Parish Church.
Saturday saw her travel to Iona and Mull, where she preached at an evening service in Tobermory.
Sunday began with a voyage by boat to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula for a morning service with Mrs Frew’s final official engagement an evening ecumenical outdoor service at Fort William, followed by a “Meet the Moderator” tea in the church hall.
She will make a presbytery visit to the northern Clèir Eilean ì area later in her Moderatorial year.
The Moderator’s trip took her to Oban, Mull and the Islands.