Retired minister hopes to swap pulpit for politics at Renfrewshire Council election

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A retired minister is hoping to swap the pulpit for politics when he stands in this week's council election.Graeme Clark was a pastor at Central Baptist Church, Lady Lane, for almost two decades before calling it a day around 18 months ago.However, the 67-year-old is eager to continue serving his community and will stand for Labour in the Paisley Northeast and Ralston ward on Thursday, May 5.Clark will go up against the SNP's Jennifer Adam-McGregor, Conservative Neill Graham and Liberal-Democrat Alan McInnes."There's nothing that made me have to do this," Clark said, when asked what prompted him to run for election."I've always been involved in community and I like Paisley."I wanted to do something for Paisley and I'm still fit and active, so I thought that since I was involved in politics a lot - I've been treasurer for the CLP and involved with Labour here in Paisley - I wanted to stand."Having travelled to cities around the world - including Chicago, Mexico City, Johannesburg and Manila - as an International Urban Associate, Clark then spent nine years as the chief executive of Glasgow City Mission until 2001. Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire.

Sign up to our newsletters here. It was at that point he would become minister of Central Baptist Church.Clark was also one of the founding members of Renfrewshire Foodbank, where he served as chair."There's two parts to the ward," he added."There's a lot of people living in the flats who don't have the same incomes as people in Ralston, so the cost of