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Gibraltar is pioneering a 75% ministry, one of the first
of its kind. Until recently it was linked with a sister congregation
in the Costa Del Sol , and the minister traveled between the two.
Dissolving that link has enabled both congregations to have the
services of a minister of their own. In Gibraltar, the duties and
needs of the post required more than a part-time locum, but because
the financial resources were not available for a full-time post,
when a new minister was
appointed it was agreed that this would be on a full-time basis
for 75% of the year and at less busy times the manse would be occupied
by a series of guest ministers.
The current minister is Rev Stewart Lamont B.Sc, B.D.(Hons)
who was educated at Grove Academy, Broughty Ferry and the University
of St Andrews where he was a Hockey blue, Convener of Debates, and
President of the Union(1969-70) and served on the University Court
from 1970-82. |
He was Assistant minister
at Greenbank Parish, Edinburgh 1971-2; then Radio producer Religious Broadcasting with the BBC from 1972-80.
He then embarked on a freelance career as a television & radio producer/presenter
from 1980-91, and newspaper columnist and freelance journalist (1980-2002)
with The Herald and Scotsman newspapers.
He also served as part-time minister at Abernyte, Perthshire
1980-82, and was Parish minister Kinning Park, Glasgow 1991-99. From 1999-2002
he was posted to Brussels as Executive Secretary (Brussels), of the Conference
of European Churches (CEC) before
coming to Gibraltar as Locum minister in November 2002, and inducted as
minister here on October 23rd 2003.
Mr. Lamont’s publications include In Good Faith (1987) , his weekly column in “The (Glasgow) Herald”
published as a collection, and ten
other books, which include a thriller “The Third Angle”(1978); a study
of the paranormal(1980); an expose
of Scientology :Religion Inc.(Harrap1985); Church & State: uneasy
alliances (The Bodley Head 1989); The Swordbearer, a biography of John
Knox(1991) and St Andrew(1995) [both Hodder] . A study of famous Scots “When Scotland ruled the world” was published
by HarperCollins in 2001 and is available in paperback.
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