Lay Readers from the Diocese of Edinburgh gathered at the Prestonfield Golf Club on Monday 6 October 2025 for a Day Conference, with presentations from the Rev Canon Prof Michael Hull, SEI’s Principal, and the Rev Jane MacLaren, Rector of St James’s Church, Goldenacre, and an SEI Associate Tutor. The day was organised by Mr Alan Baker, Warden of Lay Readers for the Diocese of Edinburgh. Ms Cam Hyde, Lay Reader at Christ Church, Falkirk, who is the SEC’s most recent licensed Lay Reader, was in attendance.
Prof Hull focussed on the vocation of a Lay Reader. He spoke to SEI’s current provision for Lay Reader training, now a two- or three-year part-time course, depending on the candidate’s own discernment around training, and the programmes of study via Common Awards and the applicability to Lay Readership. He also pointed out the variety of offerings for CMD, short courses and the modules on offer for auditing in the academic year 2025-26.
Rev MacLaren proffered sessions on Bible journalling. Bible journalling makes the Word fresh, as it were, and helps us to recapture our love of Holy Scripture. Jane engaged with a number of biblical passages with the Readers and rendered examples of journalling around those passages. For more on the topic, go to Bible Journalling UK.
One theme that ran through the Conference was the importance of prayer for vocations to authorised ministry as a Lay Reader and the importance of the examples of Lay Reader ministry from Lay Readers themselves. Lay Readers are the best testaments to Lay Readership. To learn about vocations and ministry in the Scottish Episcopal Church, please look here.
(Pictured from left to right: Prof Michal Hull, Rev Jane MacLaren and Mr Alan Baker.)
