Well-wishers have backed a former Fife minister who is set to make a return to the pulpit.
At the time of his sacking, St Andrews Presbytery said while there had been widespread support for Mr Erskine, emotions among congregations had been “mixed” and there was “desire for a form of closure.”
Because Mr Erskine’s pastoral ties with the Crail and Kingsbarns parish were dissolved, he would not be able to return to the area as a minister.
Crail Community Council chairman Dr Jack Jarvis said Mr Erskine’s departure had been a great disappointment for many residents.
“We clearly would wish him all the best,” he said. “A large number of people in Crail are very supportive of him and what he has done for Crail while he was minister in the village.
“A substantial number of people in Crail feel they have lost a very good minister.”
When Mr Erskine was suspended a year ago, local parishioners launched a campaign of support, including a petition and Facebook page called Reinstate Mike the minister.
However not everybody backed the campaign. One Facebook user wrote: “I am horrified at the amount of you who think it is OK to have a minister who has been having an affair. I think you all need to go away and read your Bibles.”
A congregation vote was 307 to 74 in favour of him returning as minister.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “Michael Erskine cannot return to full-time parish ministry unless he has a preaching certificate granted by the Presbytery of St Andrews. We understand the presbytery will discuss this matter at their September meeting.”
Married father-of-two Mike Erskine (55) was sacked as minister of Crail and Kingsbarns in December for having an affair with B&B owner Lesley MacGregor, having officiated at her husband’s funeral.
St Andrews Presbytery voted to declare his charge vacant following his suspension by the Church of Scotland’s judicial commission.
Presbytery member Rev John Cameron, who had called for the suspension to be shortened, described the episode as a “storm in a teacup”.
Speaking as a retired minister and not on behalf of the presbytery, he said: “I sometimes think the Church is obsessed with sex. I can’t tell you how uninterested I am in what people get up to in their own bedrooms. I wish some of my brethren were the same because there are much more important things to be worrying about.
“He’s an absolutely first class pastor who was caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s a delightful man who was incredibly popular in both Kingsbarns and Crail.
“His greatest supporters were his own people. Many of us thought the presbytery were wrong to intrude there. Had his own kirk session complained that would have been different.”
There has been speculation that Mr Erskine could be assigned a parish in the Dundee area, but he has yet to be granted a preaching certificate by St Andrews Presbytery.
His case is set to be discussed when the presbytery meets this month.
Mr Cameron added: “I certainly wish him all the best in the world. Now the situation has been completely resolved, any congregation who gets him will be absolutely delighted.
“He was perfect for a village like Crail. He got out there and got involved in the community.”
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