Praise be - communities welcome new minister

Appin and Lismore has welcomed its new minister.

 

Reverend Dugald Cameron was inducted at Appin Parish Church on Saturday after spending the last 15 years leading Church of Scotland worship at Kilmore and Oban.

 

Sundays will be doubly busy from now on as the morning service at Appin will be swiftly followed by a ferry ride across to historic St Moluag's Church on Lismore for another at 12.30pm.

 

To help him cover his new parish, the Glasgow-born minister is planning on getting an e-bike to speed him on his way - as well as help cut his carbon footprint and keep fit.

 

Leaving Oban is a 'wrench' he says, but making the move is exciting.

 

"attachment_594492" "" "300"] Kirsten Cameron with the Reverend Dugald Cameron, Islay Cameron, Emily D'Silva who is Parish
Assistant, John MacLean who is Joint Session Clerk and Christine MacBryde who is the former Session Clerk at Oban and Kilmore.

 

'There comes a time in ministry when you realise that change is good. It's a wrench leaving Oban because I've loved it, but it's exciting moving to Appin and Lismore.

 

'This would've been my 15th Christmas at Kilmore and Oban. Coming out of a pandemic there is a lot of change happening everywhere in the church and sometimes it's difficult to carry out changes when you've been somewhere for quite a while.

 

'I'm looking forward to being alongside people in a rural, island community and discovering more about a place that I know to some extent.

 

'The ministry here will be  different to the busy town of Oban, even though it is not that many miles away.  Here there will be more time for pastoral work and I'm looking forward to that, living within the communities and to being a pointer for God.

 

'Both Appin and Lismore are vibrant. It will be revitalising taking on a new way of doing things and encountering new people,' he said.

 

Despite the move away from the bright lights of Oban, the Rev Cameron will still be heading back from time to time to sing with the Gaelic Choir.

 

Last week saw the Rev Cameron and his wife Kirsten move into their new home at Appin Manse. Daughters Islay is studying early years learning at college in Glasgow and other daughter Christiana is spending a year on a Scots and International law course at Leuven University in Belgium.

 

At Reverend Cameron's final service, joint session clerk John MacLean, on behalf of the Kirk Session and the Oban and Kilmore congregation, spoke highly of Rev Cameron's compassionate ministry and wished him well in his new parish. Among gifts of appreciation were flowers, artwork from the Faithshare Group, as well as a framed photograph of the PS Waverley and a cheque from the congregation.

 

The Rev Cameron thanked the congregation and said he would leave with many good memories of Kilmore and Oban and was sure the parish was well equipped to move on with strength.