'Privilege and honour' to be serving church in Caithness, says new Pentland Parish minister
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The new minister for the Pentland Parish on the north coast of Caithness said it is a privilege and an honour to be serving the Church of Scotland in "this wonderful corner of the world".
The Rev Janet Easton-Berry, who is from South Africa and was previously a minister on Skye, was inducted at a service in Canisbay. The parish has been without a minister for a number of years.
Afterwards the Rev Easton-Berry said: "I am absolutely delighted to be here and serve God in this wonderful corner of the world. The kindness and hospitality shown to me by many has really touched me.
"I am so looking forward to meeting others in the parish. It truly is such a privilege and honour to be minister of Pentland Parish."
Her predecessor, the Rev Lyall Rennie, who is now retired, said: "The congregations of Pentland Parish are delighted to welcome the Rev Janet Easton-Berry as their new minister. After a long vacancy it is really good to have a full-time minister again.
"We look forward to working with Janet as a team to serve this corner of Caithness. We hope that as soon as the coronavirus restrictions are lifted we can hold social events when folk can come and meet her."
Pentland Parish was formed in January 2018. It comprises a union of the two linked parishes of Olrig with Dunnet and Keiss with Canisbay, both of which had been in vacancy for many years.
Throughout that time, it was supported by its interim moderators – initially the Rev Iain McCree, followed by Alan Sinclair and in the past year by the Rev Andrew Barrie. Worship was conducted on a regular basis by the Rev Lyall Rennie as locum, initially, until he retired from the post, although he continued to be part of the team of preachers leading worship.
Marcus Cornah became locum following the retirement of the Rev Rennie, while the parish has also been supported by a team of local preachers from within the congregation and from other churches and denominations.
An application was received by the nominating committee from the Rev Easton-Berry and she preached as sole nominee in Canisbay Church on December 13, 2020. She was called to be minister and accepted but, for various reasons, including Covid-19 restrictions, the induction was delayed until last Friday evening.
