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from West to West
following God’s call
Reverend Maclean, friendly, charismatic and welcoming, this young minister with a penchant for fast cars (and dreaming of one day being able to afford one!) comes to Gibraltar all the way from the Outer Hebrides, via Glasgow University and 15 years in a Glasgow city centre parish. 52
by Elena Scialtiel When the Maclean family arrived in Gibraltar in June 2009, they hit the ground running. After months of planning, and a five day road trip from Glasgow, they were happy to finally reach their destination. A long journey, but one they were glad they undertook, because “you do miss a lot of detail when you take the plane.” Straight away, Reverend Ewen Maclean took up his flock at St Andrew’s Church of Scotland, his wife Audrey took up employment with the MoD and their children started at St Joseph’s Middle School. “Growing up in the Outer Hebrides, I could see nothing but the ocean from our shores, and I always longed to discover what was on the other side, divided and united by the waters,” he says. So, from western Scotland he took the leap of faith towards the westernmost corner of the Mediterranean to preach his love for Jesus and “accept God’s challenge” in the sun. At first he was worried about leaving behind their metropolitan entourage, and what he had built there in a decade and a half of preaching in a small parish, helping people reconnect with their faith. “I really did like Gibraltar and I got on very well with the folks at St Andrew’s, but I was concerned that it was a step too far into the unknown and that I might be confusing God’s call with a lifestyle choice,” Ewan recalls. Furthermore, his young family had their comfortable routine in Glasgow, and he had mixed feelings about transplanting his two children, Jonathan (10) and Alastair (8), into a different environment. Yet, it was a sign that made them decide their true call was in Gibraltar. While the Macleans, invited for an interview in late January 2009, were staying at the manse during a week of wintry stormy weather which made them doubt whether the sun ever shines around here, Audrey spotted by chance an advertisement for an Occupational Health Nurse vacancy which seemed to describe exactly her skills and the qualifications she had just achieved over and above her nurse training. That couldn’t be just a coincidence — so she applied for the post and actually got it, clear confirmation, they felt, that God did want them both in Gibraltar to help the local community. So, with their boys fitting in well with their new circle of friends and in a home away from home, the Macleans are here to stay as long as they want to, and hopefully their congregation wants them to. Rapidly co-opted in the community, they are now enjoying its intense socialising aspects, feeling delighted and privileged to be invited to high profile events and mingle with the top ‘who’s who’. Since Audrey is busy with her demanding full-time job, Ewen takes care of housework, while running the church, which is open every morning for visiting, worshipping or just popping in for an inspirational chat. “Our church is for worship and friendship,” could even be Ewen’s catchy slogan. He organises several other social events, from the Wednesday coffee mornings, attracting Scottish expats from la Costa del Sol, to the monthly collector’s fairs fundraising for local charities. Lent (Wednesday 17th February until Saturday 3rd April 2010) is the perfect time for ‘food for thought’. St. Andrew’s as usual will be involved the traditional Lent lunches in coop-
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010