June 2026: Rev Pamela Gordon

They were very proud of their Scottish roots, and I have friends from Kentucky, Ohio and California coming over this year because they all have an interest in their links with Scotland.

Every year they would have a service called The Blessing of the Tartan. Everyone was invited to bring along a piece of tartan that related to their family and either bring it to the communion table or wear it and they would all receive a blessing for that particular clan.

The church in California also had banners representing the history of the Presbyterian Church, going back through Scotland and they were very aware of the connection they have with Europe and the connection they have with Scotland.

Unfortunately, 9/11 happened when I was there, but they worked through it, and as with any tragedy, there was initially unity and a coming together

As tragic as these things are or when an individual is going through a traumatic time, as a minister you are there with them. To me that is a privilege, to be able walk alongside them, and not just in the tragic moments, but when someone is committing their life to another person or a child is being baptised. You are standing with them, and you are representing God in a way. I find that quite humbling.

Again, Life and Work. I saw the advert and it seemed a very active and colourful church and also, it's not too far from where I grew up. I just looked at it and went: this is it.

I made the application and few months later I was inducted. It just seemed like a good fit.

It is not what I had in mind for my life, but the first induction I attended was for Rev Alistair Shaw when I was 10 or 11. I saw all these men and women walk in wearing their robes and I felt quite intimidated. I thought that would never be me, then in 2014, Alistair Shaw preached at my induction in Barrhead, so it all came full circle.

I speak to the children every week. They've got busy lives, but I think it is important to once a week say this is the right way to go. The most important thing I want them to know is that God loves them and no one is going to love them more than He does.

I think parents appreciate Sunday school as a positive influence because there are so many other influences out there. Helping them take aside an hour to hear that God loves you and this is how as Christians we deal with life, that has to be a good thing.

It's also about being there in the heartbreaking moments and being there for the tragedies and the triumphs. I find it quite humbling that people want me to come alongside them and celebrate with them but also be with them in the hardest moments.

Being brought up in Ayrshire, my heart is here. We share the accent and the humour that has influenced my ministry. When I walk into a church on Sunday, we have the same background and the same goal, we are all there to worship God.

It's also about taking my own life experiences and walking and talking with those who are going through similar things. Sometimes words aren't necessary. Sometimes it's just touch, if it's appropriate and someone needs a hug.

I just find it mind-blowing that this wee kid from a housing estate in Irvine ends up as a minister in the Church of Scotland.

I'm the youngest of three, the only girl, and I was just told to shut up and listen, and now I am being asked my opinion on things or being asked to lead someone's final farewell or marry a couple or baptise a child.

Some of it is difficult, but the highlights are the highlights of other people's lives as well,and being used by God to be a part of those, which I find absolutely astounding.

When I went to the General Assembly for the first time, I realised this was something I used to watch on the television, but here I was being presented as a newly ordained minister: this is me doing what I used to observe, and being part of the life of the Church, locally and nationally.

I used to serve on the World Mission Council, and I travelled to South Korea and China to learn what was going on in other denominations.

I spent six months in Bethlehem, and I have been to Gaza and my heart is sickened with the situation because I have a very faint understanding of what is happening there.

It is absolutely mindboggling that this is what I have been called to do.

I left school with absolutely no qualifications, and I was quite happy to work in an office 9-to-5, but then though that course in Crieff, my life took a completely different direction. I'm doing everything those men and women in robes did when I looked at them at thought, that will never be me, so it doesn't matter where you are from or what your background is.

I would encourage anyone who is offered a pulpit exchange to take it because you will make friends for life and it will make a lasting impact: I still can't bear to see a running tap wasting water from my two years in China where water as scarce.

An exchange can be life changing.