Tributes paid to pioneer female minister
TRIBUTES have been paid to the first female minister to be ordained into a Church of Scotland parish, who passed away earlier this month.
The Reverend Euphemia Irvine, died at the age of 93 on Thursday, February 1, with her funeral taking place this week.
Mrs Irvine, known as Effie, made history when she was ordained to the linked charge of Campsie Trinity with Milton of Campsie on June 1, 1972.
Although there were other women ordained earlier to the ministry of the Church of Scotland, she was the first to be ordained and inducted into a parish.
Mrs Irvine grew up in the Whiteinch area of Glasgow, where her parents became members of Jordanvale Parish Church.
Paying tribute, former Moderator of the General Assembly the Very Rev Lorna Hood described her as a ‘great communicator and exceptional pastor’ and ‘an inspiration’.
Mrs Irvine was a housewife for 16 years before deciding to become a religious studies teacher.
In 1951, she married Alex Irvine and, after speaking at a women’s meeting in her own church, she began to be asked to speak to others.
She previously wrote: ‘I realised that if I were to be doing this kind of speaking, which involved a gospel message, I’d need to be educated.’
She was accepted for correspondence courses at London University to study, aiming to obtain the qualifications to study in the divinity faculty of Glasgow University.
Subsequently, she enrolled for a bachelor of divinity degree, in the first year that the course did not first require a previous degree.
Following the announcement of her death, the current Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rt Rev Derek Browning, wanted to celebrate her success.
He said: ‘In 1972 Effie Irvine became the first female minister ordained into a parish when she became minister of Campsie Trinity Church and Milton of Campsie Parish Church.
‘She overcame in very short time the initial controversy that surrounded her appointment by going on to win people over by being an excellent minister to her community and gave tremendous support to the people in her parish.
‘She was so well loved that Irvine Gardens in her parish was named after her. This year we celebrate 50 years of women being ordained to ministry in the Church of Scotland.
‘Effie was one of the pioneers and blazed a trail for women to serve the church in this way. We
‘Blazed a trail for women’
give thanks for her life and for the faithful ministry Effie exercised.’
An elder at Milton of Campsie, Jim Crawford, said: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed working with her.
‘She worked hard and was feisty but highly respected by everyone including elders, members of the board and the congregation.
‘She was proud of being the first woman called to a parish. Over the years she led many trips to Jerusalem.
‘As the driving force behind the building of our church hall in the early 1980s, she was also proud of this achievement.’
More than three decades after Mrs Irvine was ordained, the Kirk elected its first ever female moderator.
Dr Alison Elliott was appointed in 2004. Since then, the Kirk has elected three further female moderators, including its present moderator, Susan Brown.