Dear Friends
Well, it seems appropriate as the church starts to gear up for its main events of the year that I should take little time to introduce myself. My name is Scott Blythe and I am acting now as your Interim Moderator for the period of time it takes for you to find a new minister. At the moment, I am the parish minister to the congregation of Stamperland linked with Netherlee.
However, my background was that I was born in Paisley and so my cross to bear friends is to be one of those strange figures in the west of Scotland who don’t support one of the more familiar Glasgow clubs. I am a St. Mirren supporter for all the ups and downs that that brings in life. Between 2-3 years, our family moved to East Kilbride and that is mainly where I grew up. As a child I was a member of the Moncrieff Parish Church in Calderwood in East Kilbride.
During my time as working with the BB and helping out in the church YF, I experienced a call to ministry – I was 19 years old at the time. I applied to the Selection School process and was successful and began my training. I completed my first degree in Chemistry at Strathclyde University. Then I went and worked for a year on the island of Iona within the offices of the community. I returned to Glasgow to study theology and I was licensed by the Presbytery of Hamilton in June 1995 after completing my BD.
From there, I went to Probation at Wellington Parish Church in the West End of Glasgow before being ordained to the ministry in Iona Abbey as the Program Director for the MacLeod Centre in 1997. From there I worked as a University Chaplain in Aberdeen, a police officer and detective in Colchester and in London and then back into the parish in Edinburgh.
I left the country to work as an Interim minister in Baltimore, USA. There I married my wife, Liz Johnson Blythe, who is also a minister. Together we served as co-pastors for a charge in New Jersey for seven years. It was at the end of this time that I applied for the parish job in Netherlee and Stamperland.
Liz and I have two children – Duncan who will be 6 on 29 August and Eilidh who is 4 (going on 54 and who loves to tell her dad how much of a fool he really is!!!!).
I have been a full member of the Iona Community for some 22 years. I am very committed with leading the churches into the future that is before us, friends. I understand that lots will have to change, and I can understand many people’s apprehension surrounding the church’s reality at this time. However, for me crisis is not only about endings, it is about creative new possibilities as well. It is this latter aspect that I relish in being a parish minister at the present time.
I look forward to getting to know you better as the months progress.
Peace be with you!
Scott