Author Archive Old Kirk

kidZone at Home

kidZone is our weekly youth programme for children of all ages.

We have a great group of children and we’re missing you all at this difficult time! To help fill the gap, Fiona our kidZone leader is making some special videos to keep you entertained. They include a wee craft so its an excuse to get colouring and splash some glitter 😉

Here’s our latest videos:

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In light of the continual spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have been reviewing what we can do to protect our Church family and the local community. This is a rapidly changing situation and updates will be provided here on an ongoing basis.

As per the latest Government announcement, and advice from the Church of Scotland, all worship services remain cancelled for the timebeing. All groups and upcoming events also remain postponed.

These groups include Thursday Morning Worship, Messy Church, Cafe Connect, OKy, Men of Faith, Good Morning Ladies, Bible Study, The Guild, and our Craft Cafe. Decisions regarding events scheduled for the coming months, including our Summer Holiday Club, will be made nearer the time.

This has been an extremely difficult decision as this will cause the absence of much loved and special relationships over the coming months at a time when these are more important than ever. However, the safety and wellbeing of our Church Family and Community is paramount so we hope you understand.

However, this doesn’t mean the Church is closed…


Online Worship

Though we are unable to meet together, Church is more than just a building and we are looking at different ways to stay connected with you all both spiritual and pastoral. We’re posting online worship videos every Sunday morning on our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.

You can watch them anytime on our video page.

If you’re on Facebook then join us on our page where we’ll be having a live watch along and where you can get in touch with your comments and thoughts. It’s a great way to stay connected with friends from Church and we’d love to hear from you all!


Podcast

To help stay connected with our Church Family, we’ve launched a new podcast which you can find on all popular podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

We’ll be uploading the audio from our weekly videos for the next period but it’ll evolve over times so watch this space!

Check out our Podcast page to listen to our latest episode and have a look at our Anchor page for links to all our podcast platforms.


Thoughts & Reflections

It might be difficult to see positives in the current situation but there is a loving God who will guide us through these challenging times. We’re posting daily thoughts & reflections on our social media which you can also find here.


Keeping In Touch

Social isolation and distancing is going to be a challenge over the next period so one simple way we can help is by staying connected. As part of this, we’ve redesigned our newsletter which you can register for here:

We’ll be issuing our newsletter weekly and you can find out more details here.

We’re always available online (and like a chat!) so comment, tweet, message us as we’re all in this together.


Community Support

This is a time of great concern and our key focus currently is on how we can support those in need both in our Church Family and our community.

As part of this, a community support group has been organised so please sign up to find out more about how you can help.

If you or your organisation would like to get involved then you can also get in touch with us via Facebook, Twitter or admin@bokonline.org.uk

To help support the work done by the Bo’ness Storehouse Foodbank, we have helped establish a new emergency foodbank to help support anyone in Bo’ness and Blackness impacted by current events. If you, or anyone you know, is affected financially by COVID-19 and is struggling to buy a week’s groceries then we’re here to help.

Check out the Bo’ness and Blackness Community Pantry website for further information and to complete and online referral.

To help support the emergency foodbank, we’ve arranged a safe drop off zone at the Church on Monday 27 April running from 10am to 12noon.

Whether you’re travelling by car or by foot, simply drop off any donations in the tubs provided. Please follow any instructions given by our Team and maintain social distancing rules at all times so everyone can stay safe

There’s an amazing team of volunteers involved and your support is greatly appreciated in these challenging times. A list of urgently required items can be found here. ❤️


Permanent Measures

Due to the postponement of services and groups, the Old Kirk building is currently closed. Only limited essential team members are currently authorised to enter the building so that we can maintain facilities and security. Anyone entering the building requires prior permission from our Session Clerk Diane.

To put people at ease and to reduce the possibility of infection, the below measures were put in place prior to lockdown. These will continue to be applied once the building reopens for public use and are continuing to be reviewed with more measures being added.

  • Information and advice notices have been placed at the entrances to the Church, and in all washing areas, and we would ask that you follow these closely.
  • Paper towel dispensers and handwash have been placed next to all washing areas along with advice notices on how to wash hands thoroughly.
  • Notices have been placed in the kitchen regarding food preparation and cleaning. Anyone using the Kitchen are asked to follow these closely.
  • As food should not be left open for communal sharing there will be no open plates of cakes or biscuits at coffee time after services/gatherings. Instead we’ll have biscuits which are individually wrapped.
  • Those who count the offering are advised to follow good practice of washing their hands before and after.
  • We’ll be replacing our usual handshakes with more imaginative ways to make people welcome.

Our History: Stained Glass Windows

Ken Rae, our Church Historian, has been working over the last few years to document more about the Old Kirk and it’s history.

I am sure anyone who enters the Old Kirk cannot fail to be impressed by the magnificence of the window facing them when they enter the Sanctuary.  On a bright sunny day the colours are spectacular and it is difficult to appreciate that the window is nearly 120 years old.  What a testament to the artist and designers who created it. 

As noted in the minutes of the Congregation of 22nd April 1901 the women of the “Work Party ” had put forward a proposal that a stained glass window be erected in the chancel of the Church.  Although the window is commonly known as the Ascension Window the proposal made by the women was to have a window placed in commemorate the life of the late Queen Victoria.  The proposal which had already been agreed to by the Kirk Session – providing sufficient funds were available- was supported by the Congregational meeting and it was proposed that  Messrs Ballantine and Gardner of George Street Edinburgh be approached to consider taking on the work.   A committee was formed to progress the matter

Messrs Ballantine duly supplied appropriate designs and costs  of £300 – £350.   The committee decided to approach about 20-30 suitable members of the congregation to consider contributing £5 each and the rest of the money to be raised by a bazaar.

Work obviously progressed and in the Gazette of 10 Sep 1903 the following report is found:

“The stained glass window erected in the chancel of Bo’ness Parish Church to the memory of the late Queen Victoria was unveiled on Sunday afternoon.  The subject of the window is “The Ascension” depicted with Christ rising to Glory from the midst of his Apostles and supported by two angels clad in shining garments..  The Apostles are grouped in devotional attitudes, their robes being carried out in rich and harmonious blue-green purples and other colours reflecting the radiating glory from the ascending Saviour.  The tracery is filled with angel figures in rich crimson and gold forming a beautiful contrast to the colour in the lower lights (panes). “

Technically this window was the first of its kind being one which has unusually no surface pigments used on the glass to provide colouring.  The colours and hues being achieved by etching of pure glass  thus providing brilliancy and purity of light.  The inscription reads “to the glory of God and in loving memory of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria born 24th May 1819 died 212nd January 1901 this window is dedicated.

Our History: Ascension Window

Ken Rae, our Church Historian, has been working over the last few years to document more about the Old Kirk and it’s history.

I wonder if like me you have been somewhat dazzled by the sunlight streaming through the Ascension Window?  The myriad of colours appearing and disappearing is quite stunning and is all caused by the sunlight and the glass panes in the window.

Coloured glass has been made since ancient times. Both the Egyptians and the Romans manufactured small coloured glass objects.  These were produced primarily by incorporating various dyes and chemicals in the production of the glass.

Stained (or coloured) glass gained recognition as a Christian art form sometime in the fourth century as Christians began to build churches.  The spread of Christianity throughout Europe is directly related to the expansion of stained glass across the globe and made stained glass the dominant art form of the new millennium.

One of the oldest known examples of multiple pieces of coloured glass used in a window were found at St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England, founded in 686 AD. The oldest complete European windows are thought to be five relatively sophisticated figures in Augsburg Cathedral.  Until the sixteenth century, stained glass was a primarily a Catholic art form and much of the precious art form was destroyed during the 1600’s by order of King Henry VIII after his break with the Church.

The purpose of stained glass windows in a church was both to enhance the beauty of the setting by filling the sanctuary with light and colour, and to inform the viewer through narrative or symbolism. In the middle ages, each window had a picture that told a story from the bible thus allowing people who could not read or write to learn about the bible by means of an illustrationIn early times of using stained glass in windows paper was scarce and parchment very expensive, therefore the full scale outline of the design for a stained glass window was drawn out on a whitened table top.   It is difficult to imagine the work and artistry that must have been required to prepare a window of even modest size.  Just think of the work and detail that would have been needed to prepare and build the Queen Victoria Memorial Window in our sanctuary. ( In case you don’t recognise it is “The Ascension Window” and I will return to this at a later date.

One of the windows which always catches my attention is the War Memorial window, both with its poignancy and the meaning of the of the figures it illustrates.

The first window (no 3 on the East aisle south to north) has the inscription “Put on the whole armour of God – To the Glory of God and in Memory of those connected with this Church who have fallen in war” The illustration is that of a knight in plate armour holding a lance-like spear in his right and bears a slightly curved sword on his left.  Golden locks of hair flow from under his helmet. This signifies the warrior ready and prepared for battle.  The next window (no 4 on the East aisle south to north)has the inscription “Be thou faithful unto Death and I will give three a Crown of Life – These windows are placed here by the congregation and friends”

The illustration is that of a knight in plate armour and purple and red robe, with his sword discarded nearby, crouched on the floor with his right arm stretched upwards to an angel.  The angel holds a laurel wreath and is shown in pale colours.  The significance being that the warrior knight has stretched out his arm to receive the comfort of the angel.

 More might follow if anybody has any other information please let me know.

A Church With History

As part of our weekly newsletter, Ken Rae (our Church Historian) has been working over the last few years to document more about the history of the Old Kirk.
To start things off, heres a look at our origins and current building.

How often have you sat in the sanctuary of the Old Kirk and looked around you at the walls, the ceiling, the windows, etc and given some thought as to how did this building and congregation get here?

By 1643 a church had been erected in Bo’ness, within the parish of Kinneil and in 1649 the parish of Bo’ness was disjoined (separated) from the parish of Kinneil by Act of Parliament. In 1669 the two parishes were re-united as a parish with the name of Bo’ness Parish. The congregation took the name Bo’ness Old Parish Church in 1929 following the union of the United Free Church and the Church of Scotland.

The present church was built in 1886-8, being opened for worship on 14th Oct. of the latter year. It consists of a nave with aisles, transepts, chancel, and a tower at the north end, and contains a Dutch pulpit said to have been a gift from Dutch sailors, and a ship in the gallery of the west transept, both transferred from the old church.

It is a large Gothic church with Normandy details designed by Shiells and Thomson, architects, George Street, Edinburgh.  Late in 1877 or early in 1878, Robert Thorton Shiells entered into a partnership with James M Thomson.  It would seem that due to the style of Shiells previous work he remained the principal designer until 1984 when the partnership was dissolved as a result of Shiells bankruptcy.  Robert Shiells was involved in the design of at least 15 churches and various significant buildings throughout Scotland.  The Shiells and Thomson partnership won a competition to design the Old Kirk ( further research to determine the nature of the competition)

It is constructed of snecked, squared rubble with ashlar dressings, using local stone. The building is cruciform in plan with additional stair projections flanking the tower. A four bay nave with aisles has a four stage tower with a faceted spire standing at its north end, overlooking the Forth Estuary.

Above the door of the tower is a sculpture of the burning bush, and a carving of the Duke of Hamilton’s coat-of-arms, in gratitude of his subscription. The 175ft tall tower dominates the coastline. The galleried interior consists of three lofts – the Laird’s Loft under the tower; the Mariners’ in the west transept; and the Miners’ in the east.

The timber roof springs from corbelled shafts, supported on alternating round and octagonal columns by pointed arches about 18ft high. The main couples being supported by carved capitals. The chancel arch facing the congregation is 35ft tall with fine carving at the springs and echoes the large traceried window in the gable.

Just think of the number of historic events both good and bad this building and its congregation have faced throughout the timespan since the laying of the foundation stone

Cafe Connect: Moderator’s Award

On Tuesday 21 May , the Cafe Connect Team and Children attended the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly where they received the 2019 Moderator’s Prize.

The Moderator’s Shield (pictured below) is awarded to Church/School partnerships which make a practical difference to their local community. From over 80 entries, we were delighted to be selected as this years winners and to collect the Shield, Certificate and cheque for £500.

Presented by Rt Rev Colin Sinclair in front of a packed Assembly Hall, it was an unforgettable occasion for everyone involved and we’d like to thank everyone at the Assembly for giving us such a warm welcome. But our biggest thanks go to our amazing Cafe Connect children who stole the show!

You can watch the presentation here and read about the presentation in more depth here. Please do take a minute of your time to watch, you’ll enjoy our dancing!

Cafe Connect is on every Tuesday during School Term from 10.30am to 11.30am. Have a look at our page for more info and come join the fun!

New Bible Study

We host regular bible studies throughout the year on various topics and how they relate to christian life today.

This group is led by our Minister Amanda and is a relaxed, fun and different way to learn more about the bible. Our previous programme took place in Easter based around Les Miserables and we even joined in some of the songs!

Our next Bible Study sessions start on Thursday 9th May at 7.30pm and fortnightly thereafter.

Amandas Thoughts

Dear friends,

We’ve had a busy start to the year here at the Old Kirk, the Guild, Thursday Fellowship, Men of Faith, Good Morning Ladies, Old Kirk Youth, Craft Café and Café Connect beginning again, we also welcomed Duncan Giles to talk to us about the work of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and how we might partner together with them to offer a CAP debt centre here in Bo’ness so that people struggling with debt and other issues in the wider areas around Bo’ness might benefit from the help of this multi award winning charity.

We were also fortunate to host a training event by One Way puppets which most of our Teen Zone teenagers and some of Sunday night’s OKy teenagers attended along with folk from other churches around Scotland and beyond since this was the only Scottish event and we look forward to seeing what fruit the training brings.

3 of us also had the benefit of attending the Sanctuary First Re-imagining church conference in January which was a brilliant weekend being inspired to think creatively about how our churches might change as we go on into the future.

There are huge but not insurmountable challenges ahead for the Church of Scotland, in 1956 the membership of the church nationally was at 1.4 million people. Now, 64 years later that membership has fallen to 336,000 and is declining year on year, losing on average the equivalent of a congregation a week as members get older and die or leave for other reasons.

We at the Old Kirk are bucking the national trend, we still have a good variety of different ages coming along on a Sunday morning, including children, young people and young adults, and we have a healthy size of congregation.

But that can’t mean that we become complacent. We have to continually explore new ways of reaching out to those in our community who aren’t part of church so that they too might come to know the love that God has for them. Not so that there are more people on a Sunday morning, or more bums on seats, but so that God’s kingdom might increase.

And so, it’s exciting at this point, still near the beginning of another year to use our imaginations…

What is your vision for our Kirk?

How do you think God’s kingdom will grow here in Bo’ness?

What can you do, to make a difference and share God’s love within our community?

What can we as a church, the body of Christ here in this place do?

Is there a need you think we need to be meeting?

Is there a group that we could be offering?

Would you be a part of it?

Blessings, Amanda

A word from Diane

This is our first newsletter this year and I wish to begin by thanking the many volunteers who helped at the additional services and concerts over the Christmas period.  It was great to welcome so many people to the Old Kirk and to share the Christmas story with them.

Thanks also for the very generous donations for Blythswood Care Shoebox Appeal, Bethany Christian Care Night Shelters and Storehouse Foodbank.  Teenzone used some of the proceeds raised from their soup lunches to donate presents for teenagers to the local Salvation Army Gift Appeal.  The Salvation Army helped over 100 young people in Bo’ness who otherwise would not have received Christmas presents.  The Kirk Session is concerned about poverty in our community and are looking at ways in which we can help particularly during school holidays and also by working with agencies like Christians Against Poverty.

Churches throughout Scotland have been facing a decrease in attendances and income and we are very fortunate that there has been a bit of an increase in attendance at our services and also at Messy Church which now meets monthly and at our weekly Youth Group.  All Kirk Sessions were  asked by the General Assembly to hold a special meeting to discuss the future and after a very interesting discussion we submitted our response.  We are always looking at new ways to spread the gospel and serve our community and would welcome any comments or suggestions.  We will shortly be taking part in a Local Church Review which replaces the old 5 yearly visits from Presbytery and all members of the congregation will be encouraged to take part and give their views on the last five years and for the future.

I recently attended the “Re-Imagining Church Conference” organised by Sanctuary First and was encouraged and inspired to hear what’s happening in other churches and the challenges ahead.  All churches and parishes are different and we must all use the gifts which God has given us to find new ways to “be church” and serve the Lord and our community.  I would encourage everyone who has access to the internet to follow Sanctuary First and I hope you will find their short daily reflections helpful.

Diane

Lent Bible Study

We’re running a new bible study programme to mark Lent and the countdown to Easter.

Join us on Thursday 7th March at 7.30pm where we’ll be looking at Les Miserables and how its core message relates to christian life..

It’s a a relaxed, fun and different way to learn more about the bible. We’ll also be looking at the film version so yes, you can join in with the songs!

Messy Church

Messy Church is our monthly programme designed for families and children of all ages. It’s a packed 2 hours of crafts, games, music, videos, stories and much more. It’s relaxed, informal, focused on fun and we’ll even provide your tea!

Our next Messy Church session takes places on Sunday 14 April from 3pm to 5pm.

All are welcome to join us and pre booking isn’t required, you can just turn up on the day (all children must be accompanied by an adult). But the best bit is that Messy Church is open to everyone! All are welcome so if you haven’t been to Church before, or haven’t been in some time, then this is the place for you!

Check out the pictures on our Facebook page for a taste of what we get up to!

Check out our page for more information.

Cafe Connect

Looking for some company? Fancy a blether with a cuppa? Or want to join in a singalong of some old favourites?  Then Cafe Connect, our weekly Wednesday Morning friendship group, is the place for you!

Loneliness is an increasing issue for people as they get older so we’re delighted to be helping Deanburn Primary School in an effort to tackle this. It’s a fun hour of activities led by the children  and includes snacks, activities and some time to chat and unwind.

Join us every Wednesday during School Term at 10.30am.

Craft Cafe

Our weekly Craft Cafe is a chance to unwind and make new friends with a shared interest. All are welcome to bring along their project and enjoy a cuppa/blether.

Join us every Tuesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

OKy

Are you in S1+? Are you bored on a Sunday night? Need somewhere to hang out with your friends? Then we can help!

Our Youth Group, OKy,  meets every Sunday from 7pm to 9pm in the Hall.

Music, Snacks, Outings, Ping Pong, Pool and much more!

Good Morning Ladies

Our fellowship group for females of all ages and denominations meets on the 3rd Saturday of every month at 9.30am to enjoy breakfast, praise and a short talk.

Join us for breakfast, chat and praise – a great way to start the day!

We next meet on Saturday 16 February at 9.30am. 

Click our logo or here for more information.

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