St Michael's Worship Team

Rev Dr Stewart Gillan was inducted as Minister of Linlithgow, St. Michaels on Thursday, 17th May 2004.

He hails from Nova Scotia where he was a minister with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. He studied at Edinburgh University for his doctorate in philosophy. While studying at Edinburgh, Dr Gillan also served as a pastoral locum at Falkirk Old and St Modan’s Church in Falkirk.

Like the last two previous ministers of St Michael’s he has an Africa connection. He was for 11 years minister of a parish which covered five congregations in different townships around Johannesburg in South Africa.

Born in Newfoundland, Dr Gillan was raised in Cape Breton. His roots are Scottish, however. His mother’s people were MacAulays from North Uist who sailed from Lochmaddy for Cape Breton in 1828. His father’s folk were coal miners who emigrated from Larkhall in 1901.

Rev Johnny Paton hails from Giffnock in Glasgow. He studied civil engineering there before moving to Edinburgh to study divinity at New College. He was ordained in 1982 after his probationary year at Fairmilehead in Edinburgh.

A call to a country parish in Kintyre quickly followed.  Johnny was minister in Killean and Kilchenzie for over 20 years. Preached a thousand sermons at the church at A’Chleit and played a thousand rounds of golf at the links at Macrihanish! Loved the place and the people but realised he needed a change.

A year out climbing and taking a counselling skills course followed. When he came down his 101st Munro an approach by an old friend of his and Stewart Gillan’s found Johnny helping out at Linlithgow part time. He liked it so much he stayed!

Rev Thom Riddell is auxiliary minister at St. Michael's. He was born in Airdrie, and has lived in Linlithgow since 1980. Thom is a chartered chemical engineer, only recently taking early retirement from working full-time as an occupational safety specialist for Innovene in Grangemouth. Having served Christ in various ways such as BB leader, Sunday School teacher, elder and lay reader, he was ordained to the ministry in 1993. He served at Livingston : Old before coming to St. Michael’s in 1994.

In April 2005, Thom completed an eight year period as Presbytery Business Convenor. He also served on the Board of Practice and Procedure of the General Assembly until its dissolution in May 2005.

Rev Ian Paterson was minister of St. Michael's from 1977 until he demitted office on 4th May 2003. Before that he was chaplain of Stirling University and a missionary in Kenya.  He was appointed one of Her Majesty's chaplains in 1997. Kirk Session invited Ian to become Minister Emeritus on his retiral. 

Suzi Farrant, our new Youth Worker, hails from England and comes to us from the International Christian College in Glasgow, where she completed a BA in Youth Work with Applied Theology. She also holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Southampton. She has extensive experience in youth work in Glasgow at parish and presbytery levels, has spent a year as a mission volunteer in North Brazil, and has done volunteer work with people with learning disabilities, UCCF, the Girl’s Brigade and with the Church of Scotland at a National level.

As a member of our Ministry Team in St Michael's, Suzi works with our young people and young adults, and liaises with the Linlithgow Youth People’s Project.