International development agency Christian Aid has announced the Very Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, who has been Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the past year, is now returning to the organisation – in a new role.
Sally, who took a year’s sabbatical from her position as Head of Christian Aid Scotland to serve as the Kirk’s ambassador, recently handed over to Dr Shaw J Paterson.
Now she is taking on the post of the charity’s UK and Global Church Ambassador.
Sally joined Christian Aid in 2016.
Originally from South Carolina in the United States, she came to Scotland on an exchange scholarship to study at the University of Glasgow.
In 1988 she was ordained as a minister of the Church of Scotland and since then has served in numerous roles including Chaplain to Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary and the Royal Scottish National Hospital; serving two parishes as Parish minister in Camelon and Associate at Dunblane Cathedral; and Convenor for the Church and Society Council for the Church of Scotland.
Sally’s new job will see her working with the Church of Scotland and other denominations on various projects to strengthen and reaffirm their connections with Christian Aid and its work.
She will also be writing and collating worship resources for the organisation’s upcoming 80th anniversary.
She said: “I’m very excited about this new role and the different aspects of it. I think it’s really important we embody our decolonisation principles and our ecumenical way of working as we look forward to see what we want the next 80 years to look like, recommit with our supporting churches and connect with churches who don’t currently work with us regularly.
“One of the shifts we want to make is to move to ‘always available’ worship resources. I’m so exited to see how we can become more consistent in our offerings and model that global justice message so it’s embedded in all our collaborations.
“We’ll also be strengthening our local and global faith partnerships and working out how we connect people, empowering and partnering communities and reminding them of how incredible they are.”
Sally said the work ahead of her resonated with what she has been doing for the past year.
“As Moderator, you are the voice of the Church of Scotland and a networker, making connections,” she added. “One of the things I realised is we don’t have to drive every train: you meet partners doing incredible things with extraordinary expertise and you bring them on board, and then trust them to do what they do best.
“I’m hopeful over the next few years to ensure Christian Aid is part and parcel of the life and work of churches in Scotland, increasing the denominations and communities we work with and bringing the right voices together, for the 80th anniversary and beyond – empowering and inspiring churches to join with our mission for global justice.”
Interim Head of Christian Aid Scotland Val Brown will stay on in that job and said she was delighted to be continuing in the role.
She said: “It’s a massive privilege to lead the work of Christian Aid in Scotland, and it’s wonderful to have Sally back as well in this new and exciting role. Our work to challenge the systems and structures that keep people trapped in unjust situations is vital, and it’s important that we share what our partners, who work with people of all faiths and none, are doing with as many people as possible.”
