Wilma Welsh, an elder at Knox, Guelph, Ont., has been named moderator-elect for the 2006 General Assembly, to be held this year in St. Catharines, Ont. Her name will be presented at the opening session of assembly, where commissioners will vote.
Welsh has served the Presbyterian Church for more than 42 years. Her heart lies in international ministries, however, beginning in 1969 when the Women's Missionary Society appointed her to Taiwan. In 1992, she became the administrator in International Ministries, overseeing the missions program. Welsh is also interested in the role of laity and retirees within the church.
Welsh would become the third female moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the first lay person (although a diaconal minister, also a woman, held the office in 1996).
