The Minister's role at Gardner Memorial has been vacant since the retiral of the Reverend Moira Herkes and the Reverend David Dixon has been holding talks on behalf of Angus Presbytery with representatives of both churches, which he has described as "very constructive"·

"I have met with the office bearers in both congregations and we have ironed out an agreed basis of linking for the two congregations and we have now got to the formal stage. This will see the congregations vote on a document that would see the linking process taken a stage further.

"That document also specifies the type of services and looks at the way administrative costs, the costs of Ministry and such like will be dealt with. This is a standard format. So the document will be presented to the congregations and a week later, they will be asked to vote on the document.

"The talks have been really good and positive on both sides throughout and it makes things so much easier when both sides are willing to work together and help each other wherever possible. There seems to be no controversy attached and that is pleasing.

"Once the congregations have voted, the document then goes to Presbytery and they have to approve what has been voted on. One of the moves in Angus is to group congregations together in the Burgh towns. They are joined together into what is known as Parish groupings, which is a contract to on various matters in which they can work together.

"We are hopeful that a Parish grouping will be just a month or two down the road and when it is up and running and the formal processes have been gone through its is then that permission can be granted to call a Minister.

"I can't provide a time scale at present. However, it's sufficient to say that it's in everyone's interests to get things done as soon as possible. Mrs Herkes' position was on something called a renewable tenure, as is the Minister at the Cathedral. this basically means that the positions are subject to review.

"We are hopeful however that once the Parish grouping is agreed, both charges can have a Minister without restriction. So there is obviously a wider interest in the appointment than that of the Gardner Memorial and Farnell Churches themselves.

"The basic role for a Parish grouping is to put down in print the sort of things which should be happening any way."

Before a new Minister can preach to the newly formed linked congregation however one final formal process has to be entered into.

"A nomination committee is then formed and they act on behalf of the congregation. They advertise the post however they want to and search for a candidate and towards the end of the process they will present a sole nominee. The congregation then get the chance to meet them and to vote."