Suspended, the church minister who divided her congregation
TRADITIONALLY at the heart of the community, the Kirk has long been the place to which people turn at important times in their l i ves such as weddings and christenings.
But at one Scottish church, parishioners are reportedly so ‘distressed’ by a fallout with their minister that they say they are ‘terrified of dying’ because t hey don’t even want her to conduct the funeral service.
Now the Rev Sandi McGill, of Avonbridge and Torphichen parish in West Lothian, has been suspended amid claims of bullying and harassment of churchgoers.
During a recent Sunday service the congregation was told that the 53-year- old had been removed from her post while Church of Scotland bosses look into the accusations.
While some churchgoers have spoken out against the minister, others have described her as ‘ a breath of fresh air’ who was ‘targeted’ after she tried to ring the changes.
But one parishioner, who did not want to be named, said yesterday: ‘People are terrified of dying – because they don’t want her to conduct t he f uneral service. Churches can do a lot of good and bind people together but the opposite is happening here.
‘People who have been involved in the organisation for 30 to 40 years have become completely distressed.
‘There are legions of stories. Some of the people are saintly people who you would go to for advice in moments of stress.’
Miss McGill was previously the minister at Uddingston Burnhead parish church in Lanarkshire and St Nicholas’ Cardonald parish church in Glasgow.
She was inducted at Avonbridge and Torphichen in July 2012, since when her l eadership style is believed to have antagonised some of the church elders. The way she ran the church sparked a series of disputes and resignations before a formal bullying complaint was filed against her.
But other members of her congregation said Miss McGill had been targeted by church elders when she tried to introduce changes. A community leader who asked not to be named, said: ‘When she arrived, she was like a new broom, a breath of fresh air.
‘ I think there was a genuine breakdown in the relationship between her and some of the parishioners. There’s a clique in
‘She was like a new broom’
the church and, when she arrived, I think she saw what was going on.
‘She knew what they were doing, which was basically interfering with her job as the minister. They had a great say in how the church was run – she came in and saw it had to stop. What’s important here is that somebody’s job is on the line.’
The parish website describes Miss McGill as a ‘people person’ who will ‘always make time for any who need her’. She is well known for her interest in justice and peace issues, as well as her support for nuclear disarmament.
Robert MacGregor, 60, a member of her congregation, said: ‘She would always speak to me. She seemed like a decent person – she comes and visits the sick in hospital. As far as I knew, she was a good minister.’
Miss McGill declined to comment. A member of the local Kirk session said: ‘The matter is being processed through the courts of the church.’