A COMMUNITY in Glasgow’s West End has welcomed a new minister to guide the local congregation.
Reverend Richard Baxter has been appointed as a “transition minister” of the iconic Wellington Church of Scotland, in Hillhead.
The minister, who will be taking over the historic church on University Avenue for the next five years, said he will help the congregation “move through a major period of change”.
He said: “The Transition ministry post at Wellington brings together many areas of interest which I have worked on locally and nationally over many years.
“The opportunity to help the congregation to transition to a new way of working while seeking to protect the most important aspects of their current work and the unique mission opportunities provided by their current location opposite the gates of the University of Glasgow are the key draws to bring me to this new role.
“First I have to become familiar with the people of Wellington, with its style, and to find out what already works, and where I can bring something new.
“Because the role has a five year time limit, it will be necessary for my feet to hit the ground running.
“I've already been impressed by the willingness of the Wellington people I have met to grasp honestly and creatively with the challenges the congregation faces, and I look forward to discovering where God is leading us in the time ahead.”
READ MORE: Taxi driver who saved a stranger's life by donating his kidney shares his story
Rev Baxter is originally from Northern Ireland and worked as a tax inspector before being called to the ministry.
He has served as Minister for over 25 years in a number of parishes, most recently in Fort William, before taking up his new role as Transition minister at Wellington.
A Transition minister, like any minister, leads worship, provides pastoral care and seeks to further develop skills and leadership in a congregation.
The Wellington Church, which is an example of neoclassical architecture in the style of ancient Greek temples, was designed by architect Thomas Watson and built in 1884.
It sits opposite the University of Glasgow main building, on University Avenue.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here