A minister has been appointed to two Church of Scotland congregations which have been vacant for many years.
Rev Dr Lindsay Schluter was inducted as pastor for Barra and South Uist congregations.
The 52-
The charge of Barra became vacant eight years ago on the demission of the Rev Eleanor
Muir who later entered into a same-
South Uist has been without a minister since Rev Jacqueline Petrie left in 2011.
Dr Schluter, who has moved into the manse at Cuithir on Barra with her 12-
She paid warm tribute to local people for their herculean efforts to keep the two congregations going in the absence of a minister.
Dr Schluter, who is fluent in German and once worked as a translator, interpreter and guide at the Glenfiddich distillery in Moray, said: "I am very pleased and excited to be here.
"I feel very content and it feels like the right place to be.
"I like the Hebrides a lot and I have family connections here which means I had an idea of what life would be like before I moved.
"I am settling in and need to work out how to deal with a linked charge because there is an awful lot of water between the two parishes.
She said she took two years to consider moving to the Hebrides and was eventually asked by members of the churches to consider the call.
Dr Schluter was inducted as minister by the Moderator of Argyll Presbytery Marilyn Shedden, in Cuithir Parish Church, Barra.
During the service, Rev Stephen Fulcher, Minister of Saddell and Carradale linked
with Southend, preached on John 21: 15-
He encouraged Dr Schluter and the members of the two congregations to sustain and encourage each other in their joint work of mission and ministry.
The service was followed by a reception and a ceilidh in Northbay hall.
New minister for vacant churches
28 August 2016