Rosie Frew: new Church of Scotland Moderator with her roots in Fife

Rev Rosemary Frew, will succeed Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson as the church goes through a challenging period of places of worship closing and congregations merging. In taking on the role, Rosie - as she prefers to be known - will become the Kirk's ambassador at home and abroad from next May

Originally from Clarkston on the south side of Glasgow, she forged strong links in the Lang Toun where spent 12 years as minister of Abbotshall Parish Church after serving as a locum at Glenrothes St Columba’s before taking on her first charge at Largo and Newburn linked with Largo St David’s, in 1988.

Abbotshalll was where she did her first placement as a student with former minister Bryan Tomlinson back in 1984. She worked along with the other town centre churches on events including joint services and study groups and providing pastoral cover for each other, was involved in the Kirkcaldy Area Reachout Trust - a group supported by the local churches which employs a schools’ worker for the town’s secondary schools and feeder primaries - and was involved in school chaplaincies, particularly with Strathallan Primary from the day it opened its doors.

She paid tribute to the people she met in the Kingdom.

On her Largo and Newburn with Largo service, she said:"They were the congregation that really did nurture me. I had around me a group of young mums and others who had taken early retirement and wanted to dedicate their lives to the church, so we did some amazing things such as setting up a mothers and toddlers group and organising holiday clubs because all these people were keen to be involved. I really enjoyed being part of that community and being involved with so many things.

"It's interesting that I have gone back to a smaller place after going to a town for my second charge. In my heart, I think I am more of a rural minister than a town minister."

That second charge was a return to Abbotshall Parish Church where she moved to take on a new challenge after 17 years in Largo.

"When I read the parish profile, it was talking about the skillset I had developed in my time in Largo," Rosie said. "The four town churches knew their future would be together, so we became an informal grouping and we did a lot together. We were actually five colleagues, because one was a job share between a married couple, and I loved having colleagues so close, working together where we could, and supporting each other creatively, practically and prayerfully.

"I did love my time in Kirkcaldy and the opportunities we had."

These included setting up a local Street Pastors network and working with a newly built primary school where she was able to work closely with the head teacher to deliver the best that school chaplaincy could offer, especially when one of its pupils died in an accident abroad.

"Everyone came together to ensure that a school family were cared for as best as we possibly could," Rosie said. "You look back on things like that and it was a really hard time in ministry, but also an incredible privilege because of good relationships and that openness of a head teacher being willing to engage with a local congregation,."

After a couple of years in ministry in Kirkcaldy, Rosie added the role of presbytery clerk.

She said it was “a particular calling” – adding: “You have to deal with all the really hard stuff, the problems and complaints, but also you see the best. It was hard and it was challenging at times, but you are surrounded by a great team of people and again, a lot of happy memories from that time."

She had already begun to play a larger role within the national Church during her time in Largo.

"I was asked to become convener of one of the National Mission committees and with that came a seat on the executive, that was the first time I took on a bigger responsibility," Rosie added. "That was 2003 when the Church was going through a major restructuring of its boards.

"There was a lot of work in that because restructuring is really hard, jobs were under threat and people were upset. These were really difficult times, but out of that came the council structure that we had until 2020, I was asked to become vice-convener of the new Mission and Discipleship Council.

"That involved a lot of presbytery visiting, and a lot of creation of resources, particularly for Church Without Walls, which was being promoted at that time."

Rosie's presbytery clerk duties took precedence over any national work, but after moving to Melrose in 2017, she was asked to consider Convenership of Ministries Council.

She said she was still a “cheerleader for the church” and would bring her passion and enthusiasm to her new role.

"It is incredibly humbling that other people see in you the qualities and experience that they think a Moderator should have," she said. "A very small number of people knew I was going forward for interviews and they all said the same thing: ‘You have got to be yourself.'

"That's what I will bring to the job: I am bringing myself and my faith, my hope, my passions and my enthusiasm.

"Someone described me as ‘a cheerleader for the Church' and I love that, I still have that passion and enthusiasm that I had when I was licensed for ministry despite all the hard times we have gone through."

In 2019, Rosie became convener of the Ministries Council then the first convener of the Faith Nurture Forum.

This experience at national level led her to decide the time was right to put herself forward as a potential Moderator.

"I have been approached a number of times about the role and it was easy to say no because the time wasn't right," she admitted. "But it is like so many things, it is like that call to ministry or calls to charges. That seed gets planted and with hindsight you recognise that seed has been nurtured by experiences you have had, particularly in the last five years as Ministries and Faith and Nurture convener and my involvement in the General Assembly.

"It's not an ambition thing, it's very much about call and as that seed of call grows, you recognise that it is not going to go away and has to be tested.”