Church of ScotlandA pair of teenagers have become the youngest people in recent Church of Scotland history to be appointed as elders.
Erica Matteo and Luke Anderson were ordained at Sandyhills Parish Church in the east end of Glasgow on Sunday, October 25.
The 19-year-olds are now part of the Kirk Session, which is responsible for the spiritual life and local leadership of the congregation.
One third of the congregation at the Baillieston church are under the age of 30, with some travelling from as far as Ayrshire to attend its Sunday night group for young adults.
Sandyhills minister Rev Norman Afrin was also one of the Church of Scotland’s youngest new ministers when he began serving there in 2018, aged 26.
Erica said: “Norman had a chat with me one Sunday and asked if I would like to be an intern elder, and I was just thinking ‘why me?’.
“When I told one of my friends, she did say isn’t that for older people, but all my friends and family have been really supportive.
“I was quite nervous before going into my first Kirk Session meeting but when I walked in I knew everyone there and I calmed down.
“I’ve really enjoyed every meeting, finding out how the church is run.
“The biggest thing for me has been experiencing the love of my church family, that they wanted younger people to step in and see what being an elder is like. It’s all to do with the love the church family have for us.”
Luke, who has preached at Sandyhills and other nearby churches, is considering becoming a minister.
He said: “I quite like being in leadership and seeing how stuff works, and I thought I would maybe have some good ideas to contribute.
“As soon as I heard Erica was the other intern elder, I knew we would work well as a team and bounce ideas off each other.
“The whole experience has been amazing. We’ve both had communion duties and it’s been an absolute honour to serve communion, to serve God in that way.
“There’s been some interesting times at the Kirk Session meetings but it’s all done through love and brought back to prayer.”
Rev Afrin added: “They have brought a depth, and spiritual insight that was very welcomed. They carried a maturity and wisdom and it has been such a joy to watch them grow into this office – they never felt like interns.
“Their contributions were always well received and they were met with warmth, love and open arms.
“For me as the minister it is just further evidence of how God is at work in Sandyhills Church. How He is raising up a people for such a time as this.”
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