A Tayside minister is to officially take up his post as moderator of the Church of Scotland next month, in a special service to be broadcast live.
Reverend Martin Fair will be installed to the top post of the kirk’s general assembly on May 16.
The service at the General Assembly Hall in Edinburgh was due to make the start of the church’s annual seven-day gathering, which has been cancelled for the first time since 1689.
But the service will go ahead, under social distancing rules, to allow Mr Fair, 55, to take up his post. It will include hymns, prayers, readings, and a Benediction.
The outgoing moderator, Right Reverend Colin Sinclair, will open the service and offer words of advice to his successor, who will be the first from Arbroath to serve as the Kirk’s ambassador.
Mr Fair, who will have the title “Right Reverend Dr”, will continue in his role as minister of St Andrew’s Parish Church in Arbroath for now and carry out his new duties when appropriate.
He said: “Taking on the role was always going to be a challenge but at least I had many others to follow and there was an established pattern.
“No one has been this way before so I’m going to have to step out into new territory without a map.
“So for me, trusting in God to lead is where I’m at personally and that perfectly mirrors the place of the Church as it looks toward a yet unknown future.
“I guess that’s what my year is going to be about, not what was planned, but I’m ready to embrace it and go forward in faith.”
Other than the outgoing and incoming moderators, the only other participant in the hall will be the Principal Clerk, Rev Dr George Whyte, who will read a passage from the Bible as he would have done at the opening of the General Assembly.
He said: “This is not how we planned things but we are thrilled that the service can go ahead and be shared widely through the website.
“Martin Fair is just the right person to offer us leadership and inspiration in these challenging times.”
The broadcast will be on the Church of Scotland website and Facebook page from 11am.
