Linda Walker Email and Phone Number

Since ordination in 2008 I have been deployed as locum at Blawarthill Church (2008/9), Interim Moderator and Locum at Stepps Parish Church from Jan 2011 - April 2013 and Interim Moderator at Williamwood Parish Church from December 2013 - October 2015. I have served on various Presbytery Committees and most recently have been involved in supporting congregations through the vacancy procedure. I take my leave of Glasgow Presbytery late this month (June 2022) as I'm relocating to the North of Scotland.

I have now retired from this position, but remain active as an Auxiliary Minister and will be keen to look at congregational facilitation and learning on a freelance basis moving forward.

The core function of this post is to offer support to congregations within Hamilton Presbytery in the range of activities that they undertake. This includes offering a safe space for office bearers to share their concerns and ask questions, bespoke training sessions for elders within a single congregation and organising events to bring together representatives from groups of congregations. Whilst offering encouragement and coaching, facilitated sessions and networking opportunities as required, I also provide support to the more regulated requirements of the Presbytery and the National church, supporting the work of teams to carry out Local Church Reviews. As a proactive and enthusiastic proponent of learning and development I have reworked and revised existing training materials and rolled out a programme of workshops to empower members of congregations to become local worship leaders. We are about to roll out the next of our specialist training courses for those who would like to be able to conduct funerals. Moving many of these activities online has been an interesting challenge.

Following a review and subsequent restructure of the support functions across the organisation I was appointed to manage a team of 3FTE staff and be responsible for volunteering and learning development across West Scotland. I am involved in a wide range of activities from implementing strategic innovations to dealing with individual complaints issues and concerns. More recently I have assumed responsibility for a Youth Engagement and Diversity manager.

Strategic overview of L & D across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Support to Operational staff and volunteers. Participation in national L & D team. Projects include - capacity building for workshop facilitators, designing and delivering one-off bespoke training and events, preparing Areas for and carrying out L & D health checks etc

In addition to the general responsibilities of a Board Member, with expertise in both L & D and HR I was involved in the recruitment of the Project Leader and dealing with a staff grievance. I also wrote the centenary history of the organisation and managed the archiving of historical records.

Project around digital inclusion for people affected by homelessness in Glasgow which involved working in partnership with statutory and voluntary service providers, promotion and marketing of the project and devising and delivering appropriate taster sessions for the target audience.

Based at Login Internet cafe, Barrhead, a state of the art social inclusion project which although targeting mainly school pupils offered Internet access to a wide range of client groups.

Manager of the resources library in the Robertson Centre providing an information and loan service to primary and secondary schoolsResources Librarian with the Education Resource Service offering support to primary schools with the automation of their librariaes.