Wild Goose appointments

Two musicians have been appointed to the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Resource Group.

Conductor and church musician Iain McLarty, formerly a worship development officer within the Priority Areas team of the Faith Action Programme of the Church of Scotland, and Dr Jane Bentley, a specialist in musical participation, will join the Wild Goose Resource Group later this year.

Both Iain and Jane have worked alongside the Community for many years and plan to use their talents to develop music in worship and will lead workshops, produce new publications and recordings and continue to grow the Community’s work in the area of global song.

Welcoming the appointments, Ruth Harvey, leader of the Iona Community said: “We are delighted to welcome two such talented musicians, well known in the world of global church music, to the Iona Community. As a young person my own spirituality was brought to life by hymns written by John Bell and Graham Maule. These songs from the world church, full of praise and possibility, still encourage me to keep singing, keep acting for justice and peace, keep walking – ‘for the journey is long’. I’m confident that Iain McLarty and Jane Bentley will keep us singing along these long roads.”

The Wild Goose Resource Group (WGRG), as part of the Iona Community, encourages, enables and equips worship leaders and church congregations with new forms of worship.

Founded over 30 years ago by John L Bell and the late Graham Maule, their resources have been used and broadcast world-wide and honoured by academic and religious organisations across the globe.

Iain and Jane are already leading music workshops at Iona Abbey this year. Details of all programmes on Iona are available at iona.org.uk/programme