Message from our Locum – Oct 2014

Dear Friends

I find myself in a very strange situation with this locum business!!  I can only describe it as stepping out in someone else’s shoes and they don’t fit so I need to find how to do that without falling over!

However, it might be helpful if I say a bit about myself for those of you who don’t know me terribly well.  I’m married to Graham, one of the leaders in YPC, we have 2 grown up sons, Stewart and Peter, we live in Thornliebank and I work for a Christian organisation called the Ignatian Spirituality Centre.  The Centre is part of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, and I’ve been there for the past 15 years as their Administrative Secretary.  I work Tuesdays to Thursdays which allows me to take on the role of locum which is one day and the Sunday per week.

As a Reader in the Church of Scotland I can take services, conduct funerals and be involved in the pastoral work, I’m sure you’ve worked out that I can’t do Communion, Baptisms or Weddings, this will be the role of the Interim Moderator.

Please do not hesitate to contact me about anything, I will do my best to help in any way I can, my details are at the end of this letter.  With this in mind I need your help to keep in contact with those who are ill or housebound so they can be visited.  I have no problem with being contacted several times about the same person or situation, it’s better that than assuming I will know what’s happening.  My ‘day-off’ will usually be a Saturday, but I realise life can make changes at the last minute!

I would like to thank you for all your support and encouragement since the announcement of my being the locum, I will be taking you up on the offers of help as time goes on.  My role is to ‘steady the ship’, to keep us going along with the help of each one of you and I look forward to working closer with you in the days and weeks ahead.

May God bless, protect and guide you as we continue to journey together.

Joan Kilpatrick