New minister Reverend Trudi Newton is getting back to her island and Malawian beginnings with her first charge.
Originally from Harray on the Orkney Mainland, her ordination as full-time minister for the parish of Colonsay and Oronsay linked with Netherlorn, means she has
both mainland and island congregations under her wing.
The ordination service at Kilbrandon Church included a sermon from the Reverend Alex MacCallum, who was himself recently ordained as the new minister of Kilmore and Oban, linked with Tiree, as well as music from community choirs and members of the congregation, with friends, family and fellow students in attendance.
“Reading the parish profile was like reading my CV,” said the Rev Newton whose ordination came a little over two months since she was invited to preach as sole
nominee to the Argyll charge.
“There were so many connections and so many things I am passionate about and that I had experience in. “I’ve been across several times and everyone is just so warm and welcoming. It feels right and I’m really looking forward to working alongside the people here,” she added.
Her induction marks the culmination of a journey towards ministry which dates back to her teens.
“I first thought about going into the ministry when I was 17,” she revealed.
“I went to an enquirers’ conference, as they were known then, and that led to me studying for a MA in Religious Studies at New College in Edinburgh,” she said.
This was followed by three months in Malawi, continuing the link between Netherlorn and the African nation. Netherlorn’s previous minister, the Reverend Dr Kenneth Ross, left Argyll in 2019 to become the Church of Scotland’s new mission partner in Malawi, having already set up the Seed for Life Project to support development work there.
“It is exciting that there is that connection,” added the Rev Newton.
After Malawi, she had returned to Orkney to explore her interest in children’s ministry and worked in similar positions in a number of churches throughout Scotland before starting exploring the possibility of going into full-time ministry in 2015.
This led to a Bachelor of Divinity course at St Andrews, along with various church and chaplaincy placements, as well as probationary periods in Geneva, Fife and Angus.
“My last few months of probation were spent at Monifieth, which was great and gave me a chance to be really me and get a good glimpse of what ministry could be like,” she said.
The Rev Newston is the first minister of the united charge, which recently expanded to include Colonsay and Oronsay.
Kilchattan Church on the Isle of Luing and Kilbrandon on Seil host services on alternative weeks, as do Kilmelford and Craignish. This means she will preach at each of these churches on average once a month, with visits to Colonsay several times a year. The other services will be led by the congregation’s experienced worship team in Netherlorn, and visiting preachers and a Reader in Colonsay.
“It’s fascinating that each different part of the parish has got its own flavour, which is really special and unique to each individual part. I am looking forward to working with people and getting to know the communities and just seeing what the possibilities are and where God might be calling us. What I am extremely passionate about is intergenerational ministry and what we can learn from each other and share with each other and be there as a family of God. That is something that is very dear to my heart.”
Caption: Rev Trudi Newton, third from the left, with Argyll Presbytery clerk Stewart Shaw, Argyll Presbytery moderator Rev Liz Gibson, and Rev Alex MacCallum, who gave the ordination and induction sermon
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