John Cowie grew up in Edinburgh and after gaining an honours degree in Chemical Physics at Edinburgh University, spent two years teaching science and music at Murree Christian School (MCS) in Pakistan. Following that he studied for the ministry at Edinburgh University, before a third year teaching at MCS and an assistant minister’s post at Palmerston Place Church in Edinburgh. He married Gillian and they began a ministry which took them for 6 years to Kirkcaldy in Fife and then 23 years in the English Reformed Church (ERC) in Amsterdam. 

The ERC is part of the Church of Scotland’s Presbytery of Europe and during John’s time there it grew to become one the largest congregations in the presbytery with 40 nationalities in worship on a Sunday from over 20 different Christian background. It was also one of the ‘youngest’ congregations where more than half of the worshippers who came together on Sundays were under 45.  

Returning to the become minister of Stockbridge Church in 2013, he is now settled back in Edinburgh and enjoying the multicultural environment of Stockbridge and looks forward to what the future will bring. His wife Gill is also enjoying being back in Edinburgh after 30 years away. After growing up in the Netherlands all three of their children returned to the UK for study and have remained here, in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London. John enjoys music and the digital world.