Press release: April 2024
The Iona Community has appointed two world-renowned musicians to support church worship leaders.
Scottish conductor and church musician, Iain McLarty, and Jane Bentley, a specialist in musical participation, will start working for the Iona Community, as part of the Wild Goose Resource Group later this year. Both Iain and Jane have worked alongside the Community for many years and will continue to use their talents to develop music in worship. Both musicians will lead workshops, produce new publications and recordings and continue to grow the Community’s work in the area of global song. Their work will inspire leaders gifted in worship and music to create participative and inclusive worship within their own faith communities.
Dr Jane Bentley is a specialist in music in health, communication and social wellbeing. In 2016, she was named a BBC Music ‘Unsung Hero’ for her work in the community. Iain McLarty is an experienced church musician in a broad range of styles, with extensive experience working with the Church of Scotland and the World Council of Churches.
Ruth Harvey, leader of the Iona Community said,
“We are delighted to welcome two such talented musicians, well known in the world of global church music, to the Iona Community. As a young person my own spirituality was brought to life by hymns written by John Bell and Graham Maule. These songs from the world church, full of praise and possibility, still encourage me to keep singing, keep acting for justice and peace, keep walking – ‘for the journey is long’. I’m confident that Iain McLarty and Jane Bentley will keep us singing along these long roads.”
The Wild Goose Resource Group (WGRG), as part of the Iona Community, encourages, enables and equips worship leaders and church congregations with new forms of worship. Founded over 30 years ago by John L. Bell and the late Graham Maule, their resources have been used and broadcast world-wide and honoured by academic and religious organisations across the globe.
Iain and Jane are already leading music workshops at Iona Abbey this year. Details of all programmes on Iona are available at iona.org.uk/programme