Profiles of the Team

Linda Stevens

Linda was born in Aberdeen and brought up in Stonehaven. After leaving school she obtained a BSc in Applicable Mathematics from Dundee College of Technology. After moving to Edinburgh, she worked as a Senior Technical Assistant doing actuarial work with the Guardian Royal Exchange. She and Gordon were married in Stonehaven in 1985 and moved to Brechin in 1988. Here Linda
stayed at home to bring up their three children – Alan (24), Roy (20) and Jill (18). Once the children were at school Linda return to study gaining a BD (Bachelor of Divinity) at St Andrews University.
She came to the Glens and Kirriemuir Old Parish Church in 2004 to do her 15 months probation and was ordained as a minister in 2006. In 2008 she obtained a PgDip in Counselling from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. She has worked as a team minister in the West Angus Area Ministry for almost six years. In her spare time she enjoys being with her family, reading, genealogy and going to the cinema and theatre. Currently, she is doing a course on ‘How to Study Local History’ with Aberdeen University.


Carleen Robertson

I’m from Pitlochry which is my other home as my sister and mother live there and that’s where I go on my day off to help look after mum.  I have been in Eassie, Nevay and Newtyle for 19 years though it doesn’t feel that long. 
Interests include reading (I’m a member of a book group), learning to play the piano, music, especially Leonard Cohen’s – I’m a dedicated groupie and was so excited to meet him when he was in Belfast.  Holidays are also important – particularly ones to Cyprus. 

I’m looking forward to this new venture as I especially enjoy working in a team with Linda, Malcolm and Ian, and I look forward to getting to know the folk at GIK.  We’ve already been to the schools and met the children and staff. I will confess now that I’m not always good at remembering names so just keep telling me until it sinks in!
 

Ian Murray

Originally from a farming background in rural Aberdeenshire, my interest in the church grew from playing the organ on a Sunday from around the age of 12. I studied Divinity at Aberdeen University,graduating to Glasgow University where I studied for a further two years for an MSc in Palliative Care whilst working part-time with Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Following an 18 month probationary period with the late Revd. Leith Fisher at Wellington Church of Scotland Glasgow, I was ordained and inducted into my first charge of Tenandry linked with Blair Atholl and Struan in February 2002.

In 2004 I was appointed part-time NHS Chaplain to the Pitlochry Community Hospital, and in 2005 was commissioned as Chaplain to the Duke of Atholl and the Atholl Highlanders.

Following 9 years in Blair Atholl I began to get itchy feet and decided it was time to make a move. The thought of team ministry sounded very attractive so I applied for the charge of the Isla Parishes which included a 30% responsibility within the wider West Angus Area Ministry. I was inducted in Kilry Church on October 21st 2010 and I’m now very settled and pleased to have made this move.

When not working I usually spend my free time either under the bonnet or behind the steering wheel of a vintage car and often broken down at the side of the road looking for a good Samaritan! I grew up in a family of vintage car enthusiasts taking part in the London
to Brighton at the very young age of 3. Today I drive, and occasionally race a 1928 4½ Ltr Bentley and a 1920 30-98 Vauxhall.

My other interests include my three Labradors, relaxing with a bottle of wine and collecting antiques. 


Malcolm Rooney

As many of you know I was born in Glen Coe and spent the first 11 years of my life in Ballachulish. Thereafter my parents moved to Larbert in Central Region.

Chris and I married in 1974 and settled in Clackmannan where we lived for the next 19 years.  We have three sons who are all
married.

Alasdair and Stewart are doctors and Iain is a Pharmacist … and this year, two grandsons – Thomas and Danny. On leaving school I trained as a PE Teacher and then taught PE and Guidance for the next 18 years, first in Bannockburn High School and then Denny High School. I resigned from teaching in 1989 and four years or so later arrived in Kirriemuir, via 3 years at the University of Edinburgh and 9 months at Alloa: St Mungo’s   

I have a liberal and inclusive outlook to Church matters and believe very much in preaching a social Gospel. For me, the key question must always be how we put God’s love into action. I have a wide range of Church interests including the development of team work and group practice ministries, climate change and  spirituality. In addition to all the main tasks of ministry I do the worship rota planning and admin for the WAAM team.  I have also recently trained as a mediator for the national church.

My hobbies include golf, hill walking, reading and fishing and like my colleague Ian, I too enjoy a glass of red wine.  

Group Practice Ministry

A new form of ministry, inspired by the Skeins of Geese that regularly fly overhead, has been evolving in the West of Angus. We believe that this will be a key form of 21st Century Ministry in the Church of Scotland.

This new form of ministry is based on the recognition  that the geese fly far further in the v shaped skein; that the leadership of the skein changes with frequent regularity; that there is mutual support within the formation and that those at the back encourage the leaders to keep flying.

Motivated by a belief that we can achieve so much more and build stronger and more effective congregations when we co-operate with each other, a Group Practice Ministry has evolved.

Recognising, too, the potential loneliness and isolation of ministry and also the demands of contemporary ministry and realising that no one person can fully meet the needs of congregations Group Practice Ministry offers a team approach where a number of Charges and their ministers work in co-operation.

Essentially we do together the things that make common sense and we do alone the things that make common sense.  Each Congregation still has its own minister and members still have their own minister. 

The West Angus Area Ministry

A few years ago three of the charges in the Kirriemuir Cluster of the Angus Presbytery Plan decided to form a Parish Grouping.  This grouping is known as the West Angus Area Ministry [WAAM].  The congregations involved were the Glens and Kirriemuir Old, Eassie and Nevay l/w Newtyle, and the Isla Parishes.  At the time the Kirk Sessions of the fourth charge in the Cluster, Kirriemuir St
Andrew’s l/w Oathlaw Tannadice did not want to be part of the Parish Grouping.  They have now changed their minds following the departure of their previous minister. 

Also the Congregation of Glamis Inverarity Kinnettles which was previously part of the Forfar Cluster wish to join the Kirriemuir Cluster and become part of WAAM.  They do so from November of 2011 under the new term of “Guardianship”. This basically means
that the current WAAM ministers, led by Carleen Robertson, as Interim Moderator,  will meet all ministry needs.