Aquila speaks out to mark anniversary
The minister of Fernhill & Cathkin Church helped celebrate 50 years of female ministers in the Church of Scotland last week.
The Rev Aquila Singh was among the speakers at the General Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, as over 500 female ministers and their supporters gathered to mark the occasion.
Holding a bright blue banner and singing the hymn, We are Marching in the Light of God, the group proceeded up the Mound to New College, where they heard speeches from several women, including Aquila, who was ordained in January 2017.
She spoke about the women who had inspired her to become a minister in the first place.
She said: “I remember as a child watching the women making the teas, tidying up afterwards, cleaning the church.
“Doing the everyday, mundane jobs that get done behind the scenes and are necessary to keep the church going.
“And as a child I thought that was the only role women played in the church.
“Then I met Rev Rebecca Begg. She was the assistant minister at my home church and the first female minister I had ever met.
“And she did all the things that the minister who was a man did!”
Aquila then talked about what she had learned from the women who had inspired her.
“Firstly, they taught me to never give up. When you get knocked down, you get right back up again and you keep going.
“My faith and my God would keep me going.
“Secondly, the importance of integrity. The two things that people can never take away from you are your faith and integrity.
“If you talk the talk, then you need to walk the walk.
“If I am going to tell people about the gospel, I also need to show people the gospel by how I live, how I am as a person.”
Aquila then reflected on how those early campaigners had helped pave the way for ministers like herself.
She added: “At the core of each lady is a grace and a heart for God.
“Their faith just shines through and what an example they have been for me.”
After the outdoor speeches, a special celebration was held in Assembly Hall.
Among other speakers on the day was the Rev Dr Margaret Forrester who campaigned in the 1960s to let women preach.
She recalled how the group were refused permission to address the General Assembly on the matter of the ordination of women in 1967, so they invited the press and spoke to them instead.
The following year the vote on women’s ordination as ministers was so decisive that there was no need to count the votes.
At the core of each lady is a grace and a heart for God