FACED WITH A SECOND CHRISTMAS without a resident minister a Moray church community has taken unusual direct action to solve their ecclesiastical problem.
The congregation at the St Rufus, Botriphnie and Grange church has produced a music video highlighting their three churches, its people and the local area in the hope of attracting a new leader.
“Shops, farms, distilleries – and the nicest folk you’ll meet,” is the rallying call in the production with a spokeswoman saying: “We are harnessing the power of digital technology as part of our campaign to recruit our next minister.
“Our new 90-second ad showcases a busy, active church with members of all ages prepared to get involved and have fun.”
Secretary of the vacancy committee, Esther Green, added that the congregation had used every traditional tool available to find a new minister – including setting up a new website to boost the profile of their parish.
“We were sitting around the table one night and came up with the idea for the video – it did not take long to come up with ideas to show everything that is going on,” she said, adding: “Keith, and the whole of Moray, is a fantastic place to come and live – we just wanted to show everything it had to offer.
“We are still an active church with lots of younger members, it is a lot more than people just sitting in pews on Sunday mornings.”
More information on the campaign to find a new minister can be found on the St Rufus website www.strufus.org