Moderator

Welcome to the Moderator's Page

Dear Friends 

On the 15th of June it was a huge honour to be installed as the Moderator of the Presbytery of the North East & Northern Isles for the 2024/26 term. I have been a minister of word and sacrament for 14 years and can truthfully say it has been a joy. I currently serve as minister at Cults Parish Church in the suburbs of Aberdeen and have been here since January 2018. Prior to that I was minister of Aberlour Parish Church in Speyside for eight years. 

I am married to Neil, and we have two grown up children. Neil is an engineer in the drinks industry. I grew up near Keith and before entering ministry I spent 4 years working for the Church of Scotland as a Regional Development Worker for the Board of Parish Education. Prior to that I worked in a number of community development roles.  

Away from church I love music – both listening and playing. I have been a member of the Keith & District Silver Band, where play the flugel horn, since I was nine years old. I also play trumpet with the Aberdeen Concert Band who rehearse at Cults Parish Church. I am literally the minister who can blow her own trumpet! My musical tastes are eclectic – loving everything from choral music to heavy metal.  

I am also a Rainbow Leader, Army Cadet Padre, an avid reader of crime fiction fan and self-confessed Death in Paradise fan. Neil and I enjoy travelling and have been fortunate to have visited some amazing places across the globe, including Neville’s beach and Catherine’s Bar on Guadeloupe (if you know, you know). 

I cannot say at what point in my life I became a Christian as ‘church’ has always played a part in my life. My parents, both Christians, ensured that I knew that I was loved by God and that Jesus Christ was my Saviour. It was at the North Church in Keith that I made my profession of faith around the age of 17 and where I became an elder at the age of thirty, therefor I know how important a nurturing church can be.  

The church is going through a time of huge change and that can be a hard place to sit. We all deal with change in different ways. For some it is an exciting time, for others it is a time of sadness as beloved church building close. I take great comfort from knowing that God is in the midst of all the changes and that God has our back. Whenever I am struggling, I turn to the Scriptures and in particular to Psalm 139. Reading the words of reassurance about God’s presence in all times always helps.  

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it. (NRSV) 

As a parish minister and as Moderator of Presbytery I seek to serve God and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. I look forward to serving Presbytery to the best of my abilities, knowing that God is with me in every moment and at every stage.   

Yours in Christ 

Shuna