In Memoriam

Diane Chisholm editor of the church magazine has written a personal tribute to our late minister The Rev Peter Macdonald.  This is printed in the March edition of The Broughton Beacon and is reproduced below.


As most of you will know, on 12 February our much-loved minister, Peter, died suddenly at home. His untimely death has come as a huge shock, not only to Peter’s family but to all of us here at Broughton St Mary’s. To say we are devastated is something of an understatement.

I first met Peter at an informal meeting at Broughton St Mary’s in 2018. Following the departure of our former minister, we were looking for a locum. Almost as soon as Peter walked into the room I felt that we had found the ideal candidate, not only as a locum but, if it were possible, as our next minister. I learned some time later that Peter had felt the same. There was an immediate connection. He was the perfect fit for us.

As a minister he was passionate, inspiring, funny, enthusiastic and caring. In the short time he had been with us he helped us achieve such a lot, not just in terms of a vision for our future as a dynamic presence within our community but in practical terms too. And he so obviously enjoyed all of it! New tables for the Garden Room, new signage and noticeboards, a CCTV system set up to improve security, and plans for so much more. We still have those plans and that vision and I pray that we will be able to carry them out, so that Broughton St Mary’s can fulfil its true potential in this area of Edinburgh and beyond. It would be a fitting legacy for Peter – an inspirational man and a good friend. Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers are with Peter’s family, especially Lesley, Callum and Lorn.

Diane Chisholm


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