Welcome To Faith

In both Ayr and Bridge of Allan, Pastor Gillian also served as a University and Hospital
Chaplain, served on General Assembly Committees and served as spiritual adviser and
chaplain at conferences for newly ordained pastors. In 2013 Pastor Gillian heard the call
to serve at First Presbyterian Church, Racine, WI. Gillian had served this congregation
on a pulpit exchange in 2004 and returned in 2013. Over the course of her ministry
Gillian has engaged in 18 pulpit exchanges across the United States and Canada.
During her time in Racine, Gillian helped establish a downtown food pantry in the
church and led the congregation to financial stability as well as grow a partnership with
a Presbyterian Church in Matanzas, Cuba. She also served on COM in the Presbytery
of Milwaukee.

Pastor Gillian was called to St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia as Head
of Staff and Pastor in August of 2018. In the past six years this congregation has
weathered the pandemic during which time Gillian taught nearly 200 online classes,
developed new prayer ministries and welcomed in many new members. Pastor Gillian is
a member of COM and the Congregational Vitality Team in the Presbytery of Eastern
Virginia. Pastor Gillian also serves on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit, Firm
Foundations, that strives to house young single mothers and equips them with practical
skills that can enable them to find employment.

While at St. Andrew Pastor Gillian completed her Doctor of Ministry and graduated from
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Her dissertation is titled, “Responding to the
Pandemic, the Church as a Vaccine Against the Pandemics of Trauma and Loneliness.”
When asked to describe the ministry setting to which she believes God is calling her,
Gillian replied, “My sense of call is toward a ministry setting where I can serve a church
that understands itself as a family of faith. A place where all are welcome, where
community is important, and where everyone is included and involved.”
The seven-member Pastor Nominating Committee conducted a national search over the
past year during which they reviewed 77 potential candidates, watched dozens and
dozens of sermons, and interviewed five applicants. In a letter to the Congregation, the
committee members wrote that Pastor Gillian “…consistently came to the top of every
set of standards we envisioned and exceeded every expectation we had.”
Pastor Gillian will begin her duties at Faith in September.