Church of Scotland announces new Moderator Designate

The Reverend Dr Angus Morrison has been announced as the next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Dr Morrison is current minister of Orwell and Portmoak Church in the Presbytery of Perth, and will take up the office at the next General Assembly of the Church of Scotland when it takes place in May 2014.

He was born in Glencoe in 1953 and educated at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, doing his PhD at New College before being ordained in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1979.

He transferred to the Church of Scotland after ministries in Oban and Edinburgh, becoming the minister of St Columba's Old Parish Church in Stornoway and is now Minister at Orwell and Portmoak Parish Church.

During his time in the Church of Scotland he has served as a:

· Member of the Church and Nation Committee, latterly on the Europe Group
· Member and then Vice Convener of Panel and Doctrine
· Moderator of the Presbytery of Lewis
· Convener of the Mission and Discipleship Council
· Member of the Special Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry
· Chaplain in 2005 and 2006 to the Lord Mackay of Clashfern when he served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly
· Chaplain to the Queen

Correction 29/10/2013:

Dr Morrison was ordained to the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and not the Free Church of Scotland as originally stated. 

News
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds

People who regularly attend church are more likely to report happy marriages, according to a new report examining the relationship between faith and family life.

Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk
Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk

Churches in Dhamtari, a town in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, have put up notices warning non-Christians that they enter at their own risk, weeks after a law against religious conversion came into force in the state.

£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes
£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes

Churches across the UK are being offered bursaries to help them establish mentoring programmes aimed at supporting young people and others in their communities.

World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary
World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has held an online celebration to mark its 180th anniversary. Hundreds of people from more than 22 countries attended, and the event was rebroadcast to accommodate different time zones.