There is something fitting about a Lenten reflection on the theme of letting go, and Martin Scott — the outgoing Convener of the Iona Community Council — has written one that is honest, generous, and quietly moving. After six years in the role, he is stepping down as Jo Morling takes over, and he uses the season of Lent to make sense of what that transition means for him and for the community he has served.

Scott is candid about the difficulty of the period he has overseen. The physical closure of the Macleod Centre — one of the two residential centres on the island of Iona — was a painful decision, made necessary by financial pressures but felt deeply by a community whose identity is bound up with hospitality and pilgrimage. He describes the process of letting go not as defeat but as preparation: clearing the ground so that something new can grow.

The reflection is also a meditation on leadership itself — on the difference between holding on and holding lightly, between protecting what exists and trusting what might emerge. Scott speaks of the Iona Community's commitment to its global role and its ongoing efforts to engage younger generations, and he frames the transition to new leadership not as an ending but as a continuation of a journey that began long before him and will continue long after.

For those who know the Iona Community — its distinctive blend of Celtic spirituality, social justice commitment, and ecumenical breadth — this is a moment worth marking. The community has shaped the worship and theology of British Christianity in ways that far exceed its small island base, and the quality of its leadership transitions matters to many beyond its own membership.