Alastair McKay

Alastair McKay is one of the British staff members at the London Mennonite Centre (LMC). He currently works four days a week as Director of Bridge Builders, and is studying part-time for a Doctorate of Ministry through Spurgeon’s College. Husband of Sue and father of Eleanor (born 1995) and James (born 1997), he spends less time on hiking than he used to – but given a chance he will gladly don his boots and head for the hills. An avid follower of Leeds United AFC since he was 8 years old, he still shares in their fortunes, good and bad.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1963, Alastair is of mixed Scottish, English and Irish descent, and as a young boy, he wanted to be an army officer, like his father. Ten years at boarding school proved difficult and painful, and during his teenage years Alastair became an ardent atheist. After leaving school, he spent a period in Australia, where his beliefs were challenged by living with a Roman Catholic family. Their love and Christian faith shone out as they faced the death of one of their young children.

When he was 20, and studying English literature at York, Alastair met some Christian students during a time of personal crisis. Drawn by their love and witness, he started following Jesus for himself. He was particularly shaped by three years at St Michael-le-Belfrey in York and he explored the possibility of ordination, before deciding to train as a teacher.

Teaching proved an unhappy experience, and Alastair moved south to join the civil service in 1988. He worked for nine enjoyable years at the headquarters of the (then) Department of the Environment in various policy jobs, including negotiating agreements on international air pollution, and developing policy on composting!

In 1990, Alastair got engaged to Sue Lee, an architect and artist, who introduced him to the Wood Green Mennonite Church (WGMC) where she was worshipping. Having married into the Mennonites, as it were, Alastair then began to explore the Anabaptist tradition and was challenged and excited by what he discovered, particularly the call to see peacemaking as central to faithful Christian discipleship. Learning about the early Anabaptists with Alan Kreider, Alastair formed his own commitment to following the nonviolent example of Jesus, and joined the Mennonite Church in London. Subsequently Alastair accepted a call to serve as part of WGMC’s leadership team, from 1994 until 1997.

In February 1994, while seeking a clearer vocation, Alastair attended a mediation skills training course led by Ron Kraybill, founder of Mennonite Conciliation Service in the USA, and brother to Nelson Kraybill, then Director of the London Mennonite Centre. This course set Alastair’s imagination afire, and he joined with Nelson and a few others in founding a voluntary community mediation service - the original Bridge Builders - to serve disputing neighbours in the London Borough of Haringey.

However, Nelson and Alastair’s hearts lay in serving the church, and helping to transform the way Christians understand and handle conflict. In January 1996, with the support of a grant from Mennonite Central Committee (Europe), in collaboration with Nelson, Alastair started working one day each week with Bridge Builders, which was re-launched as a service of the London Mennonite Centre.

In August 1997, the McKay family (now four) moved to Virginia, USA, so that Alastair could study for an MA in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University. The intensive two-year programme included a six-month internship working with Richard Blackburn and Bob Williamson at the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center in Illinois, offering mediation and training for churches of diverse traditions around the USA. In September 1999, on his return to England, Alastair re-joined Bridge Builders as its first full-time Director, and has since overseen its growth and development.

Alastair and his family now worship at Muswell Hill Methodist Church. However, he retains strong Mennonite convictions, and is glad to serve in a Mennonite organisation. Meanwhile, parenting, marriage and family relationships continue to provide the toughest tests on his journey of learning to handle conflict more effectively.