Presbyterians elect a pioneer as leader

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 4

Presbyterians elect a pioneer as leader

The first woman to be ordained a minister of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church has been elected its Moderatordesignate. The General Assembly, which met in Palmerston North two weeks ago, elected the Rev. Margaret Reid Martin, of Auckland, to succeed the present Moderator, the Rt Rev. Kenape Faleto’ese. Mrs Reid Martin will take up the post next November at the end of Mr Faleto’ese’s term as Moderator. When she was ordained in 1965 in Wellington, Mrs Reid Martin was the first Presbyterian woman to be ordained in New Zealand. She is the second woman to be elected Moderator-

designate of the Presbyterian Church. The first woman Moderator was Mrs Joan Anderson, also of Auckland, who was elected in 1979. Mrs Reid Martin said that during her term, she hoped to encourage what she saw as a growing togetherness in the Church.

The Church was ageing and tended to be “a bit homogeneous.” “I hope to show that there is a place for everyone in the Church, including young people, solo parents, and the disabled,” she said. Mrs Reid Martin, who is 63, is a specialist in Christian education. From 1959 to 1978, she was general secretary of the New Zea-

land Council for Christian Education and its successor, the Churches Education Commission.

During the 19505, Mrs Reid Martin also taught at secondary schools in Wanganui and Waverley.

Mrs Reid Martin was born in Wanganui. She gained a university degree in science before entering Deaconess College in Dunedin.

She now works as a consultant for the department of parish development and mission of the Presbyterian Church. Since 1978, she has been married to the Rev. David Martin, a minister in Auckland.