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ACTS appoints new general secretary

A Roman Catholic monk is to lead Scotland's ecumenical body, ACTS. Brother Stephen Smyth, the new general secretary of Action of Churches Together in Scotland, is a member of the Marist Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious congregation which has a focus upon Christian education.

Stephen has worked for the past seven years as the Ecumenical Officer for Glasgow Churches Together and has wide experience in education at secondary and adult levels.

Stephen has worked with ACTS in the planning and delivery of two major events in recent years - the Scottish Ecumenical Assembly in 2001 and last year's Scottish Ecumenical Gathering, Seeds of Hope. He has also been involved in work on a denominational level with a number of the ACTS member churches as well as being a member of the Archdiocese of Glasgow's Ecumenical Commission.

Stephen was born in 1950. He has a Master of Ministry and Theology degree from the Urban Theology Unit at Sheffield University, and has been a member of the contextual Bible study development group in Glasgow for the last ten years.

Rev Mary Buchanan, Convener of the Scottish Churches Forum, said: "We are delighted that Brother Stephen will be joining the staff of ACTS. This is the first time a member of the Roman Catholic Church has been appointed as General Secretary since ACTS was formed and is a further staging post in our shared journey towards the visible unity which Christ wills for his church."

Stephen said: "I look forward to this next stage of our pilgrimage as Churches in Scotland. My vision is that together we can deepen our relationships and celebrate more the gifts of one another’s traditions."

Brother Stephen will take up his post in mid July.

Action of Churches Together in Scotland is the national ecumenical instrument for Scotland. Its member churches are The Church of Scotland, The Congregational Federation, The Methodist Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Salvation Army, The Scottish Episcopal Church, The Society of Friends, The United Free Church of Scotland and The United Reformed Church.

Full story at Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS).