Charity boss unveiled as next moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

A charity boss has been named as the next moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Rev Sally Foster-Fulton has been named as the successor of Rt Rev Dr Ian Greenshields and will come into post in May next year.

She has led anti-poverty charity Christian Aid in Scotland since 2016 and will take a year’s sabbatical to take up the position.

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The Church of Scotland minister said she is excited for what the year will bring and is looking forward to meeting those involved in the Kirk’s work.

Rev Sally Foster Fulton has become the new Moderator Designate of The Church of Scotland. She is photographed here at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh. Picture: Andy O'BrienRev Sally Foster Fulton has become the new Moderator Designate of The Church of Scotland. She is photographed here at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh. Picture: Andy O'Brien
Rev Sally Foster Fulton has become the new Moderator Designate of The Church of Scotland. She is photographed here at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh. Picture: Andy O'Brien

“I genuinely love and am inspired by the Church of Scotland and its people,” she said.

“Over the past years of the pandemic, in the face of a global climate emergency and now a cost-of-living crisis, people across the church have been stepping up and doing their very best to make an extraordinary impact in communities, locally, across our nation and in the world.”

Mrs Foster-Fulton has been a Church of Scotland minister for more than 20 years. She was born and raised in South Carolina in the USA and has served in several parishes as well as a hospital chaplain.

The moderator-designate has also campaigned on behalf of detainees at Dungavel House immigration removal centre near Strathven in South Lanarkshire, and has helped advance work on human rights, climate justice and support for those experiencing poverty.

Her husband, Rev Stuart Fulton, is a fellow Church of Scotland minister and serves the parish of Newlands South Church in Glasgow, where the couple live.

Mrs Foster-Fulton recently became a grandmother. She said her new role had “shifted her perspective and given new meaning” to her commitment to try and make the world a better place.

She added: “What church congregations do locally in their communities is critical.

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“It is what gives the church’s voice validity when we speak truth to power.”

Patrick Watt, chief executive of Christian Aid, said: “Sally’s commitment to social justice and ending poverty is at the core of her faith and is what brought her to Christian Aid. It will also stand her in good stead in this new role.”

He added: “Her experience is a great fit for this role, and I wish her all the very best. I look forward to working with her when she takes up the position next year.”

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