Over the last two years, readers have followed the lives of three trainee ministers to see where their faith journey has taken them as they train for the ministry of the Church of Scotland. Their vocations are progressing – one has now almost completed probation, one is about to start probation and one is progressing through university. Jackie Macadam reports on their progress.

“IT’S been a year since I last spoke to Life and Work and a lot has changed since then. I am now a mother to three wonderful boys after giving birth to Malachi last August, Malachi is a much-loved younger brother to Samuel (8) and Ciaran (7) and we celebrated his baptism with our church family at Killermont Parish Church on April 30,” says Lynsey Brennan, who graduated in July and is about to start probationary training in Glasgow.

“Training for the ministry and being a parent to small children at times can be challenging as you are juggling home life, with studies and training but with the flexibility of different training pathways offered by the Church of Scotland this means responding to a call to ministry does not need to be put on hold. Three weeks after having Malachi I decided that I would return to Highland Theological College to complete my three-year fulltime degree. With the support of family, friends, university and the Church and being blessed with the most contented baby ever, I managed to keep going and I am looking forward to my graduation.

“I am working at Temple-Anniesland Church of Scotland for my summer placement. This church has welcomed me so graciously and warmly that I don’t actually want to leave! I think this has to be one of the perks of ministry training; after each placement you gain another church family and this brings a sense of belonging to a much wider family of God. This is what I’d love others to experience, this sense of belonging to a Church community where people matter because each is valued and recognised as a unique child of God.

“My passion is to inspire and encourage faithful followers of Christ to share their stories of faith naturally with others in their communities so that people can see the joy that comes for knowing God. My summer placement has given me a rich learning environment and I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in Messy Church, healing services, contemplative prayer days, secondary school chaplaincy, baptisms, leading formal and informal worship and pastoral visitation both in homes and in hospital so this has shown me that the life and work of a minister is not dull!

“The Rev Fiona Gardner (minister at Temple-Anniesland) has a passion for mission and ministry and has really inspired me and given me the opportunity to learn from someone that shares my vision for mission and evangelism. After graduation the next stage on my journey is probation ministry and I’m looking forward to my time at St Paul’s in Milngavie.”

John McCulloch, will complete his probation in December.

He explains: “It is always tempting, when reflecting back on the last year of ministry training, to begin to list the various activities that I have been involved in. However, I feel challenged to resist starting out like this. I have been reading and reflecting on Ian Cowley’s book The Contemplative Minister: Learning to Lead from the Still Centre. In an age where we are measured and judged by how busy we are, this book is a timely reminder for us to return to core of our calling; that being comes before doing. Cowley writes: “Being comes before doing. Ministry is primarily about who you are, not about what you do.’

“One of the first questions we ask someone we have just met is ‘what do you do’? We define ourselves by what we do, rather then who we are.

“Thomas Merton said that as human beings we all have what he called ‘a false self’. This is the part of us that we want others to see. The part of us that spends too much time and energy living for the expectations of others, the part of ourselves that is always looking for approval.

“As I look back at the last four years of ministry training, and as I enter my last months of probation, I am deeply grateful for the widespread and varied experience I have been through. Placements in Govan, Bearsden, Jerusalem, Ardrishaig & Knapsdale, and now the linked charge of Lochgoilhead & Kilmorich, Strachur & Strathlachlan have provided me with huge variation in terms of ecclesiology and theology, and I have learnt from all.

“I have also had the chance to return to both South America and Central America in the course of the last year, to connect with ministers and theologians from across Latin America who are living out their witness of faith, in very challenging sociopolitical contexts. I was deeply moved after visiting several parishes in northern El Salvador with a Salvadoran priest who has recently been made a bishop by Pope Francis. Despite the structural injustice and high levels of violence, the churches we visited were teeming with life and joy. Signs of renewal and hope were having a profound impact on the community.

Lynsey Brennan

Dawn Laing

John McCulloch

“I have found over that last year, that wherever I have been, from the depths of rural Argyll to the teeming metropolis of Mexico City, individuals long to be caught up in something that takes them beyond the limitations of their particular horizons. People are longing for significance and transcendence in a world where so often we live at surface level.”

“The gospel beautifies and renews.

“As I head into the final few months of probation, I do so with renewed hope and expectation at how God’s Kingdom of love, peace and justice are breaking into the world.”

“Where has this past year gone?” asks Dawn Laing, who is just about to enter her third year as a candidate.

“This time last year, I finished a very enjoyable placement at St Bryce Kirk, Kirkcaldy. The following Sunday, I was part of the congregation of First Congregational Church, Rockport, Massachusetts, USA, where I spent ten weeks working full-time, alongside the Rev Derek van Gulden, participating in all aspects of worship and pastoral work. The placement brought excellent opportunities for ecumenical experiences, as there were many denominations in this small coastal town. The highlight was participating in a team to feed the homeless, in 90˚F heat, before the open air service ‘Common Cathedral’ on Boston Common.

After returning mid-August, I was straight into Ministry Candidates’ Training Conference, to enjoy more teaching and fellowship. In the following months, I felt blessed and uplifted by the words of encouragement and prayers of Christian friends. We should never underestimate the power of the prayers on our journey. Over the last eight months, I have enjoyed the great privilege of working with the Rev Carolann Erskine, as part of the Ministry Team at Markinch and Thornton Parish Church. During this time, I felt embraced by the warmth of the church family, and very quickly felt at home. Much has been added to my ‘toolkit’ about all aspects of parish ministry, and I feel a great sense of God’s purpose in my life. Through excellent supervision and reflection I’ve learned much about myself, with God continuing to use different experiences, sometimes subtly, at others more ‘sit up and take notice’, to shape and prepare me for the role to which He has called me.

“February brought the great joy of participating with 26 other Ministry Candidates on a week-long study trip to the Holy Land. Jerusalem was our base for the first five days, with last two days spent in Tiberias, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Our trip included visits to several Church of Scotland sponsored projects.

“One of the first questions we ask someone we have just met is ‘what do you do’? We define ourselves by what we do, rather then who we are

“The presence of God was most closely felt through sharing the journey with the love of my fellow pilgrims, and in the people we met, who share in the love of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. The most beautiful spiritual moment was when we shared the Sacrament of Communion as the sun set on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. There was absolute peace, and a very tangible presence of the Holy Spirit felt, uniting us to God and to each other, reminding us of what a privilege and blessing it was, and is, to share in His love, to have walked in His steps, in His home town, and to share His love on this journey of mission, wherever it takes us in His service.”