Our Team
Our Minister, Rev Neil H. Watson
Neil became the minister of Stonelaw in June 2021, having spent the best part of a decade ministering in the Lothians. Neil is married to Elizabeth, and they have a young daughter named Phoebe. They all feel very blessed to have been welcomed so warmly by the people of Stonelaw and hope that you would want to experience that warm welcome too!
Since he came to the realisation that this life is not the only thing on offer but that there is hope, comfort and meaning to be had in an everlasting relationship with God, through Jesus, Neil loves sharing that Good News with people.
As well as being passionate about telling people about Jesus, Neil enjoys spending time with his family, reading books, and listening to music. He spends most of his free time playing and writing his own songs, finding it a great and creative way to unwind and relax. Equally, he loves to watch most sports but especially American Football, Basketball and Baseball.
As the minister and Teaching Elder of Stonelaw, Neil has responsibility for chairing the Kirk Session (our leadership team), leading on any worship and teaching-related matters, whilst providing support and oversight in all other ministry areas in the church.
With all the changes going on in our world and within the Church of Scotland, Neil believes the church is being called now more than ever to spend time in prayer, seeking God’s comfort and direction, and reaching out to those who find themselves in need of God’s loving hand.
If you would like to discuss worship, baptism, membership, weddings, or funerals, Neil would be delighted to have a chat with you. Equally, if you would like someone to pray with or for you, or even if you would just like to speak to someone, Neil is always available. He can be contacted on 07871615840 or by email on: minister@stonelawchurch.org
Please note that Neil’s days off are a Monday and most Saturdays.
Alan Jenkins:
Musical Director
Heading up our musical talent is Alan Jenkins. Alan plays the organ and keyboard, leads the praise group and is a wizard with all of our technical audio / visual equipment. Alan is also a secondary school music teacher. He is married to Joanne and is father of three daughters. Those three daughters have inherited their father’s musical talent; often playing flute, saxophone and violin at our Sunday morning services.
Jacky Sheppard:
Church Officer
Jackie cares for the building on a daily basis, to make sure Stonelaw always looks its best. On a normal Sunday morning, and at weddings, funerals etc, Jacky ensures everything is in its rightful place. Jacky has one son and four dogs.
Elders
"The office of elder is one of the spiritual offices of the Church of Scotland and is concerned with the oversight and pastoral work of a congregation."
Elders are peacemakers, pastoral carers, teachers, leaders by example, and decision makers who are tasked with preaching and teaching those who belong to the church.
At present we have 21 active elders: 14 women and 7 men, ranging in age from 40+ to 80+.
A number of management groups and committees look after our buildings and other matters related to Stonelaw’s people. These all report to our Elders who usually meet monthly as ‘The Kirk Session’.