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East Kilbride

Old Parish

Church

 

 

WELCOME!

 

Join us in worship each Sunday, in our church 

 

Technical Issues  : We are currently experiencing a number of problems  with both  the 'Watch-a-Service' and

the "Streaming of the Service" Live on the front page of the Website

 

We are currently working hard to resolve the Current Issues and will update this artice when we are able to provided a solution to both of these 

 

VIDEO RECORDING:At the moment if you wish to watch the Service please access this via You Tube

AUDIO RECORDING: in 'Listen-to-a-Service'  has now been restored below & 'Dial-a-Service' (contact church office).

 

 

listenToServicesv2 watchServicesv2

 
On this page you will find:
  • Services in Church, online and other formats (eg for housebound members without internet)
  • Sunday School
  • Messy Church   
  • Contact details
 
 SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP  
 
In church, online and other formats... 
 
Do join us in church if you can this Sunday - it's so lovely to see people back in the pews again, and enjoying a wee cuppa and chat after the service in the Lower Hall!
 
Live Sunday morning services begin at 11am, both in the church (the best experience for most people) and via online live broadcast on this website, Facebook and Youtube and more (scroll down)...
 

Note: If you are new to our church, or any church, we have more information and a 'Newcomers Guide' on our 'Worship with Us' page. We also have elders on hand each week to help you and answer your questions - just look for their name badges.

Anne in pulpit blue

i) Attendance In Church

We have plenty of seating available in church, upstairs and down, whether you wish to sit together or prefer to continue social distancing. 

ii) Attendance Online

There is nothing to compare with being in church together, in communion with others, as we know only too well after the Covid lockdown.

But for the benefit of the housebound (temporary or permanent), those on holiday or working away, and even potential newcomers to our church, we will continue to broadcast our Sunday morning service live each week (also see other options below). The link is indicated by a small screen photo which is found on our Home page. Having been on the Home page for a week, the recording of the service then moves to 'Watch a Service' - a 'Click-on button' below the video picture. Below that, you will find sound-only recordings of services in 'Listen to a Service'

iii) Know someone who is housebound with no internet?

For housebound members without access to the internet, we can provide recordings (on request) in the following formats: Telephone Dial-a-Service, CD, DVD, USB stick

Please get in touch with Alistair Walker, or your elder, if you would like to know more about these for a friend or relative in the church.     

 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL   
 Meeting in the Upper Hall next to church at 11am, we cater for children in Pre-school to Primary 7. We generally have a mix of music, puzzles / quizzes, games, crafts, 'circle time' chat, a prayer, and a bible storyChildren should be dropped off at the Upper Hall next to the church (up the ramp and then stairs) at 10.50 -11am and collected there after the service – they only go in to the church on special occasions(Iain Shaw at iainshaw18@gmail.com or on 07912 295943)

See also our Sunday School page in 'The Young at the 'Old' / Youth section.

  

 MESSY CHURCH  
 
Messy Church sessions (for all the family) normally take place on the first Sunday of the month, 2pm - 4pm in the Glebe St Hall, unless advised otherwise in exceptional circumstances. Check our 'Notices' page.
All are welcome to come to these sessions but please contact Iain Shaw first for catering purposes -   iain shaw18@gmail.com 
 
 

 CHURCH CONTACT DETAILS 

To contact us, telephone: 01355 279004, email ekopc.office@btconnect.com or you can use 'Contact Us' on this website. You can also go to www.Facebook.com/EKOLDPC  

SUNDAY SERVICE

Join us for worship on Sundays at the usual time of 11am in the church. Tea and coffee are served afterwards in the Lower Hall.

If housebound, you can join us live in worship online through our Home page, YouTube, Facebook page, or Dial in Phone Service.

You can also use the same means to access a video or audio recording of our services at a later time and date - or request it in other formats. 

Note: Any notices for Sunday services should be handed in by Thursday.

OFFERINGS

Please note: Your weekly (or other) offerings to the church, including Gift Aid, can now be made using your bank/credit card - a card reader is located next to the usual collection plate (which still accepts cash and envelopes). Help is on hand if you are unsure what to do! 

 

2024 church cal

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

EKO MAGAZINE OCTOBER EDITION 2024)

         

              October 2024          October 2024

                                  EKO PART 1                                    EKO PART 2

 

You can click on the picture above to read the October EKO magazine. 

 

Please note: The deadlines for submissions to the November magazine are : Sunday 20th October (handwritten/typewriter) or Wednesday 23rd October (electronic).

Thank You   David Kent  (Editor)

 

 

 guild oct2024

 

harvest 2024

 

 

 kirk l 2024

 

 
craft 2024
clink 2024
guitar
 
 
macmillan 2024
 

  prayer 2024

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SUNDAY TEA ROTA

It would be reasonable to assume that everyone knows that teas and coffees are served in the Lower Hall after each service on Sunday Mornings! You do know or don’t you?! Our problem is that we have only a few people helping serve this fayre and they are sore-pressed because of low numbers.

Would you consider helping? At the moment the teams work once every couple of months and when you consider that many of the members of the teams also help with other events it would be reasonable if you could give of your time to help. Please?

Just speak with either Norma Penman or Jeanette Lawson any Sunday and they will gladly receive your kind help.

 

 

 STAMP COLLECTION 

If you have any used stamps could you remember to bring them to church and leave them in the vestibule. These stamps can be turned into funds so are most useful to us! (Mary Smith)

  

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

"When God touches people, he takes the nearest willing hand, and he uses that hand to touch other people".

a) Church Communications Group: Facebook and Website 

Could you write a few details about an upcoming event, or a review, or short piece of news from our church and email it in? Or could you take a photo at a church activity? 

We need contributors for our church Facebook page and website - it's important to keep the congregation and community up-to-date with what's going on.

We can also show you how to put information straight on to one or other of the two sites if you're interested.

Conveniently, all these tasks can be done from home at a time to suit you. Why not try it once or twice? There's no obligation to continue if you get too busy...

Please get in touch, even just to find out more - you could email ekopcmagazine@gmail.com , ring me, speak to Janice Gourlay at church, or go via the Church Office. (Christine B)

b) Recording Services 

If you have more of an interest in filming and sound recording, our 'Sound Desk' is the place for you. We have an experienced 'Sound & Vision' team now, trained by Austin, who take turns in live streaming / recording the church services.  It would be good to have a couple of extra people learning how to do this - get in touch and we'll show you what's involved. No obligation if you decide it's not for you. Contact Austin Hepburn, Lorraine Kerr, or speak to a member of the Sound Desk team on Sunday if you'd like to find out more. Alternatively, leave a message with the Church Office or 'Contact Us' on this website. We'd love to hear from you, however you get in touch!

c) Children, Youth and Families Work 

Iain Shaw, our Children, Youth and Families Worker, is doing fantastic work with the young ones - the future of our church. But he always needs support from the congregation - in a variety of ways. See his News page on this website for details of what he's up to and if you can, please answer his call for volunteers!

 CONTACT DETAILS 

To contact us, use any of the following:

Telephone: 01355 279004; Office Email: ekopc.office@btconnect.com ; Communications Team Email: ekopcmagazine@gmail.com ; send a Website Message via 'Contact Us' on this website;  Or to go to our Facebook page, click the link below.    

  facebook www.facebook.com/EKOLDPC

 
 
The FOCUS Page
 
Here we turn a spotlight on things we are doing in the church, things which include a bit more information or photos... Get in touch with your suggestions!

 

MISSION PLANNING

 

Kirk Session Meeting

There will be a Kirk Session meeting after morning service on Sunday 22 October to hear an update on Mission Planning.

I am not promising that this will be as dramatic as the last Presbytery Meeting on the subject but can assure you that it will be a lot shorter ! (Alistair)

 

Presbytery Meeting re Mission Planning, 7pm, 26th September

The meeting on Tuesday 26th was broadcast live. The Presbytery page is - https://www.fvandc.org.uk/  or just  Click Here

For the  Motion sheet, please  Click Here

Result of the meeting:

The outcome of tonight’s special Presbytery meeting was unexpected and as a result any decisions have been deferred yet again.

A number of motions and one counter-motion had been submitted for debate. After the first two amendments had been debated and decided Presbytery turned to the single counter-motion. The thrust of this counter-motion was to replace Sections of the Draft Plan with a quite different Section to defer consideration of the Draft Plan to a future meeting. The rationale for this being to give the Mission Planning Team time to provide congregations with more details behind the proposals it had made. There were complaints from some congregations that really significant recommendations, such as dissolution, had not been communicated to, or discussed with, incumbent Ministers who were finding that they and their families faced being uprooted and with personal challenges on re-location, housing, schooling and so on without any notice. While there were only about two such instances referred to there appeared to be considerable support for the counter-motion on the basis of the absence of concern apparently shown by the Mission Planning Team.

The contrary position that, even though there were imperfections, the Draft Plan provided something for congregations to work from and develop, was put strongly but lacked the emotional impact of other speakers.

After debate this counter-motion was carried by a narrow majority.

The Presbytery is already over 9 months overdue in submission of a Mission Plan so this decision will now extend this by several months. The Convenor of the Mission Planning Team has resigned and this too will create further delay. The Presbytery Clerk has acknowledged that this now takes Presbytery into uncharted territory as it is not clear how the position might move forward. The Clerk was instructed to seek advice and support from the General Trustees. The decision also had the effect of nullifying any further debate on all the remaining motions before tonight’s meeting and also of cancelling the two further special Presbytery meetings later this week and next week where congregations from other areas within the Presbytery had been cited to attend to discuss the Draft Plan insofar as it affected their congregations. The Draft Mission Plan is now no more than a set of options for discussion.

Our Kirk Session will now have to decide what we might do in the weeks ahead. It seems unlikely that very much will emerge from Presbytery by way of guidance in the near future. There are grounds for believing that West Kirk and Stewartfield might be amenable to discussions with the Old Parish on progress towards union. Moving in that direction might help keep some momentum going and begin the process of planning how integration of the congregations and assets might be brought about and what might be realistic timescales for implementation. Members of Session might wish to give this some thought before we meet formally to decide on a course of action. (AW)

September 12th: Draft Presbytery Mission Plan 

As expected, the Draft Presbytery Mission Plan (all 158 pages of it) arrived this morning. 

The Plan proposes that initially, Old Parish, West Kirk and Stewartfield come together as a united congregation. The Plan also proposes that following union of these three churches that the new united congregation works with Moncrieff church, initially as a Parish Grouping, but then towards full union thus bringing all the churches in the North-West area of the town together as a single congregation.

All the churches will need to give careful consideration of the detail of these proposals. There will undoubtedly be challenges and difficult decisions along this road. Some buildings are likely to be closed. Some others may change the way in which they are used. The Plan itself acknowledges “the process will change all of us; some will be relieved, some will be angry, and some will be speechless.”

Our Kirk Session will discuss the Plan at a Session meeting next Wednesday, then the following Tuesday, 26th September, a small group from the Session will attend a full Presbytery meeting when the Plan will be put forward for consideration and approval.

This church will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, and now that we are nearly at the end of this long and difficult process of Mission Planning, perhaps we can put difficult debates and meetings behind us and start to look forward with confidence to the years ahead. 

Click Here to view the  Draft Mission Plan

September Update

The Presbytery Planning Group continues to work on creating a draft Presbytery Mission Plan which will set out the proposed arrangements for all 120 congregations in the Presbytery. These will be presented to the whole Presbytery at the end of September. It is intended to issue a draft to Kirk Sessions by 12 September so that there will be at least a fortnight for consideration. In anticipation of receiving the draft plan by that date we have scheduled a Kirk Session meeting for 20th September to consider Presbytery’s proposals. It should therefore be possible to bring the congregation up to date some time in October.

 

Kirk Session Position, 10th July

The Kirk Session of the Old Parish recorded a failure to agree a Mission Plan with Westwood and Greenhills churches on 30th March for the reasons set out in detail in my email to the Presbytery Clerk of that date. There were no further discussions with Westwood and Greenhills and the Old Parish Kirk Session concluded that there were no prospects of agreement within that “cluster”.

We understood that the “cluster” of Moncreiff, Stewartfield and West Kirk had similarly reached an impasse.

Following a meeting convened by Presbytery on 22nd June and subsequent local discussions, the Old Parish resumed discussions with West Kirk; these having commenced in advance of the publication of the original Mission Planning team proposals which, to our surprise, recommended these two churches for inclusion within separate groupings. Like West Kirk we then directed our energies in the direction indicated by the MP proposals with, in both cases, the unsuccessful outcomes described above.

Within the past two weeks discussions between the Old Parish and West Kirk have resumed and happily these have been constructive and conducted in a spirit of openness and purpose. These discussions have been reported to the Kirk Session and a “direction of travel” has been endorsed by Session.

The preferred outcome of Mission Planning adjustments is –

  • Development of a Basis of Union with West Kirk;
  • The current Old Parish sanctuary to be the principal place of worship and the West Kirk sanctuary to cease such use;
  • The Glebe Street Hall, currently an Old Parish property, to be disposed of and resultant funds to be available for adaptation of the West Kirk sanctuary for incorporation into the present West Kirk halls complex
  • Development of a Parish Grouping, either after or in advance of union, comprising other local churches i.e. Moncreiff, Stewartfield, West Kirk & Old Parish and covering the North side of the town

We understand that these outcomes are similarly favoured by the West Kirk, and that Moncreiff and Stewartfield are also supportive of development of a Parish Grouping. (Alistair Walker, Session Clerk)

 

Early July Update

From the Session Clerk:

Over the past couple of weeks there have been several meetings on the matter of Mission Planning for the churches in the Old Parish/Westwood/Greenhills and the Moncreiff/West/Stewartfield clusters.

These have included a meeting for all the parties under the auspices of Presbytery, and smaller meetings between different groupings of congregations.

The emergence of difficulties and reservations within these two clusters mean that it has not been possible for either cluster to agree on a Mission Plan acceptable to all parties.

The course now being followed is for three separate groupings –

> Old Parish & West Kirk

> Moncreiff & Stewartfield

> Westwood & Greenhills

to work individually towards development of their own Mission Plan.

In the case of the Old Parish this means that we will not continue our previous discussions with Westwood and Greenhills but will instead return to discussions of many months ago and develop a Mission Plan jointly with the West Kirk.

The timescales for submission of Mission Plans to Presbytery are extremely tight as they are required by 14th July.

For that reason, there will be a meeting of the Kirk Session after morning service this Sunday (9th) when there will be an opportunity for elders to seek clarification and to discuss this revised position.

18th June Short Meeting of Kirk Session

Elders were updated on the latest understanding of the current position with other EK churches, as well as hearing a report of 3 recent dissolutions announced at Presbytery. After some discussion, our church  representatives were given authority to take Kirk Session's stance and views to the meeting on Thursday 22nd and there make proposals, decisions, etc as appear appropriate after hearing the views and stance of others present.

June Update

In regard to some progress with the engagement of Presbytery in the Mission Planning process, representatives of EKOPC have been invited to a meeting at the Presbytery offices on Thursday 22nd June to meet members of the Presbytery Mission Planning Action Group and possibly other churches to consider the way forward.

Since the last update to Session and the congregation, the positions of Westwood and Greenhills have become clearer, leaving little room for continued dialogue in the cluster. Anne and Alistair will say more about this at the post-Sunday service meeting on 18th June and Kirk Session will be invited to agree on the suggested next step - that we depart from the current cluster and seek opportunities for working collaboratively with other churches. 

May Update

My piece for April's EKO magazine struck an optimistic note when, as we thought, we were on the cusp of determining our future in union with Westwood and Greenhills churches. This followed from extensive joint discussions and the development of a draft Mission Plan prepared by representatives from the three churches which we anticipated would then be approved by all three Kirk Sessions.

Regrettably this did not proceed as we had expected and, just a few days before the deadline of 31 March, both Westwood and Greenhills churches indicated that they would not support the Plan that we had all agreed and instead, proposed a quite different Plan which rejected union in favour of a combination of Parish Groupings and Team Ministry with elements of Local Mission Church. This was without any discussion with the Old Parish, and was completely contrary to the process of joint meetings set out by Presbytery and, in rejecting union in favour of a quite different arrangement, the Plan now proposed was unacceptable to our Kirk Session. This change of mind by Westwood and Greenhills was completely unexpected and, understandably, quite disconcerting. It then became impossible to present an agreed Plan to Presbytery within the deadline.

As required by the formal process, our Kirk Session has notified Presbytery of this failure of the three churches to agree and (at time of writing for the May EKO) we await details of the next steps on how we can move forward from this difficult position. (Alistair Walker, May EKO)

16th April Session Clerk Announcement in Church

This morning (16th April) Alistair updated the congregation on the current position with Mission Planning:

"I need to say a few words this morning about where we are in the Mission Planning process. When I last updated the congregation a few weeks ago I reported that there had been very encouraging discussions about uniting the congregations of  the Old Parish, Westwood and Greenhills churches and that we were working together on a Mission Plan which we would submit to Presbytery in good time to meet the deadline of 31 March.

Well, as someone once said “The best-laid scheme of mice and men…” you know the rest.

We were taken by surprise just a few days before the deadline, when both Westwood and Greenhills churches indicated that they would not support the Plan that we had all agreed and instead, proposed a quite different Plan. This was without any discussion with the Old Parish, and was quite unacceptable to our Kirk Session. It then became impossible to present an agreed Plan to Presbytery before the deadline.

In circumstances such as this the procedure is for Presbytery to be notified of a failure to agree and to move towards appointment of an independent mediator to resolve the situation. We have notified Presbytery as required, and we await details of the next steps on how we can move forward from this difficult position.

We really don’t know now how matters will work out but I hope to be able to give the congregation another update within the next few weeks."

29th March - Where are we at with the plan?

We have been promised an update soon from the Kirk Session on 29th March, when Mission Planning was the focus of the agenda, but things were not straightforward..... hence the delay.

10th March Meeting Update

There has been a further meeting of representatives from the three congregations in our “cluster” in order to make progress with development of a joint Mission Plan. 

Draft Mission Plans had previously been developed by the Session Clerks from EKOPC and Westwood and circulated throughout the cluster. While the meeting quickly agreed the majority of the statements and details in the draft Mission Plan, there remained an issue relating to buildings to be resolved with Greenhills.

Having discussed the matter, the meeting agreed to give the Greenhills Kirk Session, with support from the other two churches, the opportunity to develop a business case for the continuing use of the buildings as a free-standing and self-funding charity at arms length from the new congregation. A timescale of 18-24 months was suggested for production of the business plan. It was further agreed that, should the business plan fail to support the continuing use of the buildings, the buildings would close thereafter.

The meeting was conducted in a warm, collegiate manner and the outcomes were agreed unanimously.

Over the next few days the Session Clerk from Westwood and the Old Parish will work together to refine the latest draft into a Mission Plan incorporating last night’s agreements. This will be circulated to elders within the next week and should, one would hope, then win the support of all three churches. The three Kirk Sessions have scheduled meetings before the end of this month enabling a final, agreed, Mission Plan to be submitted to Presbytery by the deadline of 31 March.

From March EKO

The proposals for radical changes to our parishes and church buildings are currently generating lots of discussion, occasional consensus and, not unexpectedly, much gnashing of teeth as weighty matters such as church closures, disposal of buildings, finances and the future of Kirk Sessions are agonised over. For our part, discussions with our counterparts at Westwood and Greenhills are (fingers crossed) going well. One topic not yet discussed however is what the new, united congregation might be called ?

In the early years Christianity was against the law and gatherings of worshippers did not have names. Later on, after the Emperor Constantine issued an edict that protected Christians in the Roman empire, worshippers began to build church structures and give them a name, frequently after the names of the martyrs. Many churches today still have names with Paul, Peter, John or Andrew in their title.

Churches are often the oldest building in a village or town. Our own, dating from 1774 whilst not the oldest building in the village, can be linked to the much earlier buildings back to the 12 century! Churches like the Old Parish Church are steeped in history and a name matters both in preserving something of the past but also, by location in a prominent position and often with impressive architectural features such as a steeple or tower, in proclaiming God’s presence in the community. The name Old Parish Church will however become a footnote in history once the union between ourselves, Westwood Parish Church and Greenhills Parish Church is finalised. What name then for the new congregation ?

In 2008 the General Assembly devised a formula for the name of a congregation as comprising -

  • A geographical name, i.e. a city, town or village; and

  • An additional name identifying the congregation if there is more than one congregation at that geographical location, e.g. Anytown: St Mary’s, Anytown: St Margaret’s, etc;

    Inclusion of the words ‘Church of Scotland’ or ‘Parish’ or ‘Kirk’ are optional.

    The tradition of incorporating a saint’s name isn’t really an option in our case as the obvious title of St Bride has already been adopted by another church in the town. The working title of the grouping proposed last year by the Mission Planning team was East Kilbride North-West but does that not sound more like an airline or maybe a film title ? East Kilbride : United is more like a football team and East Kilbride : St Andrews a bit like a bus route.

    Time to get our thinking caps on and come up with suggestions for a name that reflects not only the location and heritage of our own church, but will be equally meaningful and respectful to the congregations of Greenhills and Westwood. Something for all church members and three Kirk Sessions to ponder ! (Alistair Walker, Session Clerk, EKO magazine, March '23.)

Update (February EKO)

As members will know from previous articles in this magazine, the Church of Scotland has embarked on a programme of major change throughout the country with the aim being to make the use of church resources more effective and to strengthen the focus on Mission within our communities. Following widespread consultation, a plan to implement radical change was published in September last year and sent to Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions for discussion.

The proposals did indeed generate much discussion, and, while like many others, our Kirk Session was content with the proposals, many congregations were strongly opposed with the effect that the team which had developed these proposals was replaced by a fresh Mission Planning Team. The revised proposals from the new team delegated much of the responsibility for developing appropriate arrangements to local churches which were encouraged to create local “clusters” of two, three or four congregations agreeing to meet together to form a local Mission Plan.

For our part the Kirk Session has identified that we have areas of commonality and a strong interest in moving forward cooperatively with both Westwood and Greenhills congregations. In discussions with representatives of these churches there has been enthusiasm and excitement at the prospect of creating a united congregation and at the opportunities for mission that such a partnership would offer. The Old Parish Church is now engaged in discussions with Westwood and Greenhills churches, and have formally confirmed to Presbytery the agreement of all three congregations to work together to produce a Mission Plan leading, ultimately, to full union of the churches.

As there are major issues involved, including ministry, buildings, finances, the name of the new congregation and composition of a new Kirk Session, the discussions will take some time to work through. The Kirk Sessions of all three churches are fully behind this union, and will be making their best efforts to ensure that the final outcome respects the needs and aspirations of each congregation. Our aim is to build a strong, united church which is well-prepared to further our commitment to mission in the enlarged parish.

Alistair Walker - Session Clerk 

Important Presbytery News: January 2023 update 2
Discussions are continuing locally, and there are proposed changes to church groupings as a result. 

These were discussed and agreed at Kirk Session on 18th January and we have now, with Westwood and Greenhills, formally confirmed to Presbytery our intention to work cooperatively in preparation of a composite Mission Plan and subsequent processes.

Important Presbytery News: January 2023 update 1

Following the nationwide review of CofS congregations and the resultant recommendations for significant changes, the East Kilbride churches have been working out the implications for all nine EK parishes.

EK Old Parish Church is now engaged in discussions with Westwood and Greenhills churches, which will ultimately lead to a union of these churches. There are big issues involved including ministry, buildings and finances, so the discussions will take some time to work through. 

The Kirk Sessions of all three churches are fully behind this union, and will be using their best efforts to ensure that the final outcome respects the needs and aspirations of each congregation. Our aim is to build a strong church which is well-prepared to further our commitment to mission in our parishes.

 
Important Presbytery News:September 2022

The Mission Planning team arranged to meet representatives of every East Kilbride congregation on 1st September 2022, and the Old Parish was represented by the Minister, Christine Tweedie, Graeme Mortimer and Charlie Devennie. 

Our Kirk Session on Wednesday,  21st September had Mission Planning as the sole item of business and the proposals will thereafter go forward for consideration and approval by Presbytery, the Faith Nurture Forum, and the General Trustees and, subsequently, implementation.

This has been a long and challenging process for the ministers and elders responsible for the work of Mission Planning. Alistair asks that you please remember all our colleagues in your prayers.

Note 1: In church law unions can only proceed with the consent of congregations and, where there is a minister in post with full tenure, with the consent of the minister. In each of the cases above there will be a requirement for a Basis of Union to be agreed between the congregations and ministers and then considered, and voted on, by each congregation. In the short-term there may be Deferred Unions or Team Ministries.

Note 2: A paper from the Mission Planning team which includes maps showing the boundaries of the proposed new parishes, the recommended complement of ministers and other staff, and an explanation of the rationale supporting the planned changes has been sent to all elders.

 
Kirk Session Report from 21st September Meeting
As you will be aware by now (from March news and also August item further down), the General Assembly of 2021 instructed Presbyteries to create a Mission Plan to re-shape congregations and resources with the aim being to make use of church resources more effective so as to strengthen the focus on Mission within our communities.
 
The Plan has now been published and we now know that the proposals are very significant, affecting every congregation in Scotland, with many uniting with neighbouring congregations and others closing.

Every congregation in East Kilbride has been touched by the Mission Planning recommendations with the number of ministerial charges in the town being reduced from 9 to 3. Every congregation will be involved in union with one, or more, other congregation with the following being the proposals from Mission Planning -
* Moncrieff and West Kirk to unite
* Claremont, South Parish, Mossneuk and Greenhills to unite (JAN 23: PROPOSED CHANGE - SEE UPDATE ABOVE)
* Old Parish, Westwood and Stewartfield to unite (JAN 23: PROPOSED CHANGE - SEE UPDATE)

Parish boundaries will be substantially re-drawn with enlarged parishes being created. The existing churches of Moncrieff, Claremont and Old Parish will be the main church centre and place of worship for the new parishes while Westwood and Mossneuk churches will be retained to facilitate a Local Mission Church.
This work represents the most substantial change to the shape of the Church of Scotland for nearly 100 years.
Every congregation will be changed in some way.
The principal changes for East Kilbride Old Parish Church are:–
• The name “East Kilbride Old Parish Church” will disappear
• A new congregation will be formed with a new name through a Basis of Union agreed with Westwood and Stewartfield congregations (CHANGED JAN 23: SEE UPDATE ABOVE)
• A new Kirk Session will be established
• All assets of each congregation will be combined in the name of the new congregation
• The new congregation will (ultimately) have 1 full-time Minister of Word and Sacrament; a 0.5 post of Ministries Development Staff and 1 Ordained Local Minister (OLM)
• In the short to medium term we may have a Team Ministry comprising the current Ministers at our own church and Westwood Parish Church

The EKOPC Kirk Session has considered and discussed the proposals of the Mission Planning team and has accepted the recommendations without reservation.

As the processes move forward the Kirk Session will work with other congregations to develop a Basis of Union which will set out the detailed arrangements for a new, united, congregation.
Each Minister currently in post and each of the congregations need to approve the proposed arrangements. Developing a union between congregations requires the consent of all the parties, so it is neither a quick nor a straightforward process. However, with goodwill of all the parties, sincere Christian fellowship, and a shared commitment to the Mission of the Church, we can face the future with confidence and the strength of a new, invigorated congregation. (Alistair Walker, Session Clerk)
 
Important Presbytery News (August 22)

At the Sunday service on 28th August, (a recording of which is available our 'Watch a Service' button on our website Home page), the Minister updated us on proposed changes in the organisation of Church of Scotland. Elders have also received written information from Alistair, our Session Clerk. The aim of these substantial changes is to make use of church resources more effectively so as to strengthen the focus on Mission within our communities.

At present in Forth Valley & Clydesdale (our presbytery area), there are120 congregations, 98 charges and almost 150 church buildings, but the General Assembly of 2021 requires us to reduce the number of ministry posts and churches by 40%. This is to be accomplished within a 5-year period, though in many cases it should be completed before that deadline.

The Church of Scotland Mission Planning team has come forward with very radical proposals for ministry in East Kilbride with every single congregation affected. The recommendations will surprise most people and will no doubt cause some concern to many.

Our local Presbytery Plan for Forth Valley and Clydesdale, which is now out for consultation would leave us with 59.5 posts to cover what is a very wide area – including Bowness, Grangemouth, Biggar, Douglas, Airdrie, Motherwell, Hamilton, Carluke, Tinto, Lanark and East Kilbride.

The current 9 parishes in East Kilbride will be reduced to 3 and the existing churches of Moncreiff, Claremont and The Old Parish will be the main church centre and place of worship for the 3 new parishes, while Westwood and Mossneuk churches will be retained to facilitate a Local Mission Church. Each of these churches will unite with one or more of the existing congregations:

* Moncreiff will unite with the West Kirk 

Unexpectedly, it will not be us, but Moncreiff, which it is proposed will unite with the West Kirk (the latter's church and halls will be disposed of.)

* Claremont will unite with South Parish, Mossneuk and Greenhills.  (JAN 23: PROPOSED CHANGE - SEE UPDATE)

South Parish and Greenhills church halls will be disposed of.

* The Old Parish will unite with Westwood and Stewartfield. (JAN 23: PROPOSED CHANGE - SEE UPDATE)

Westwood will join with Stewartfield (which does not have a building) and the Westwood building will be retained to facilitate a Local Mission Church. We will be a united charge of 1 Kirk Session. The proposed staffing for our united congregation is 1 Minister of Word and Sacrament, 0.5 Ministries Development Staff (MDS), and 1 Ordained Local Minister (OLM).

Parish boundaries will be redrawn with enlarged parishes being created and we will lose Nerston, Kingsgate and the area around Auldhouse. The old Rolls Royce site and East Mains will stay with us.

But people should be clear, they are welcome to attend any church they wish – you will not be turned away at the door and are still welcome to join us every Sunday.

In East Kilbride Old Parish Church, we are asked to do our best ensure that our merger with the two other churches is managed sensitively and thoughtfully so that with a larger congregation, additional resources, and a clearer vision of the future, we can consolidate our existing programmes and find new and practical ways of taking the Gospel to the communities around us.

It is important that as we move forward under a new name that we look on these changes as a new beginning and an opportunity, and that we view the changes as a coming together of brothers and sisters in the same family and with a common goal.  

 
 
 
HALL LETTING
 
Our church has three halls and a number of rooms which can be hired as regular or one-off lets:
 
> Next to the church we have the Lower and Upper Halls, Lounge area, a small upstairs meeting room, small kitchen and toilets. They are located in the building shown here on the right, with the Lower Hall area being unseen, to the rear with main access through the church gate and up the ramp:
cropped church view from Legends copy
 
> We also have a bigger, more modern hall with stage, well-equipped kitchen, toilets (including disabled), and car parking as shown below, and also there are several paid parking areas both on and off Glebe Street:
GLEBE ST HALL without potholes reduced size copy
 IMG 8404
 
Hall Glebe with chairs
 
Hall 2
 
IMG 8398
 
The following documents will be useful to you if you are interested in booking any of our spaces, and you can call our office number 01355 279004 if you need anything further: 
 
Click Here  for Information on Booking Hall/Room Lets 
 
Click Here  for Hall/Room Let Application Form 
 
Click Here  for the Use of Halls/Rooms Request Form for Small Meetings
 
Click Here for the Current Terms and Conditions re Letting Church Premises
     
 

 

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Church Welcome and Introduction including: 

General Information; Location Maps; and 'Contact Us' message facility.

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Worship with Us, including information on Church Services as well as Communion; Accessibility and Extra Support; a 'Newcomers' Guide  

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History and Graveyard

NB: Work and Workings of the Church is yet to be opened...



 

Welcome to East Kilbride Old Parish Church!

Join us for worship on
Sunday Mornings from 11am – 12noon.

We hope you will feel a warmth and friendliness and that your experience of our worship together is enjoyable, meaningful and encouraging. Please also look out for activities you could be a part of during the week – there are lots of opportunities to meet with a friendly crowd! East Kilbride Old prides itself in being known as a welcoming church.

 

From the church of the past to the church of today…

“This website includes a section on the history of the church and its graveyard because we know may visitors are interested in this. The current building dates back to 1774 (though there has been a church on this site since pre-Reformation times).

When today’s church was built, it stood in the midst of a small village. Today it stands in the midst of a large new town with a population of around 75,000 people.

Beautiful as it is however, our church is not the building, but the people. Within that building, there is a warm church family. People of all ages meet together, all striving to reach out to the community we serve in the Village area and East Mains.

We have active organisations for children and adults, giving a wealth of opportunities for fellowship and sharing, and everyone is assured of a warm welcome.”

Rev. Anne Paton

Slide02 2

Join us for worship this Sunday

Find Out More

 

Church & Halls

Glebe St Hall


East Kilbride Old Parish Church
Montgomery Street
The Village
East Kilbride
Scotland
G74 4JS

Telephone:
01355 279004
Office opening times:
Tuesday & Friday
9:30am to 12:30pm
Email:
ekopc.office@btconnect.com

 

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Scottish Charity No: SC000609