I have been made very welcome since I came to Symington in January 2014 to be Minister of the Tinto Parishes. I was ordained in 1979 in a council housing estate church in Edinburgh and since then my ministry has been varied, both within parish ministry and in working in the voluntary sector with specific interest groups, mainly in the areas of disability and social enterprise. Four things have inspired my vision – seeking local ways to address global issues, working to break down injustice and exclusion, creating working partnerships, and serving the church in the community. This, I believe, gives me a distinctive perspective which I am able to contribute to ministry within our three congregations and our communities. The church in today’s world has to reach out. But who it reaches out to, and what it reaches out with, is often not easy to see. That is the journey of the church, and of each one of us as Christians. Perhaps we will have to learn new ways to reach out, to establish new partnerships, and consider doing things we have never done before. My telephone number is 01899 309400.