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Our History: Foundation Stone

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

Among the duties of Session Clerk is the maintenance of the Kirk records.  By maintaining records we provide an invaluable source of information for our descendants in years and indeed decades to come.  You may well be very familiar with some of these records, eg The Communion Roll – a record of all members who are eligible to take Communion; The Baptismal Roll – a record of all Baptisms carried out in the church or elsewhere by the minister.  We also keep detailed records of Kirk Session meetings, Congregational Board meetings, Financial records, Building maintenance records and the Annual Business meeting.  The Church of Scotland instructs all Churches to keep such records and each year they are inspected – “attested”-  by Presbytery to ensure we are keeping them appropriately.

In my time as Session Clerk, whilst delving through some really old records I came across the following which I thought might be of interest to you.

It is a record of the laying of the Foundation Stone of the Old Kirk.  The Foundation Stone was laid in the North-East corner of the foundation and the following narrative was recorded at the time.

The Stone was laid by James Auldjo Jamieson, Esq. WS commissioner to His Grace the Duke of Hamilton at the request of the Kirk Session.

Inside a cavity in the Stone there was placed a bottle  containg church relics and the contents of this bottle which seems a strange conglomeration to modern eyes gives a very accurate reflection of the wide influences exercised by the church in those days.

  • A list of the Kirk Session, 1886 and photographs of Minister and Kirk Session, the Duke of Hamilton, Mr James  Auldjo Jamieson, the Old Parish Church, the New Parish Church (?), Old Kinneil Church, Blackness Castle and Mrs H M Roberston (wife of the minister);
  • Collection of old coins presented by Mr Jeffrey including Rymer and George Paterson farthings;
  • An old daguerreotype dated 1853;
  • A piece of white linen cover in a stoppered bottle of Kinneil Parish Church Communion Table dated from 1660;
  • A communicants ticket
  • Sabbath School Soiree ticket
  • Dr. Thomson’s Sacramental catechism
  • Copies of the Missionary Record and Life and Work
  • Map of Scotland
  • The Children’s Hymnal
  • The Church and University Almanac
  • The bill, papers, and letters relating to the luncheon;
  • Copies of “The Scotsman”, “Glasgow Herald”’ “Scottish News”, and “Bo’ness Journal”;
  • Memorial of Kirk Session to Baird’s Trust.
  • Rules of the Volunteers 2nd Linlithgow Rifles and a history of the volunteer movement with a list of the Officers since the formation of the regiment. (see footnote)
  • Rules and Regulations of the United General Seabox
  • A copy of the Bo’ness Journal of January 9th 1885.

As you can see the list is very varied in items but they were all included for what must have been important reasons at the time.  We have at various times tried to find evidence of where exactly the Foundation Stone was laid but as yet to no avail.

If anyone has any information, photographs , relics etc  about the items listed above (or indeed anything relating to the Old Kirk which may be of interest) please let us know.

Ken Rae

The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need One such unit was the 1st Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteers, a company formed at Linlithgow, the county town of West Lothian (or Linlithgowshire), on 19 March 1860 under the command of Captain Robert Stewart. It was soon followed by companies formed in other towns of West Lothian, and they were combined as the 1st Administrative Battalion of Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteers with Stewart promoted to Major in command on 21 October 1862:

  • 1st Linlithgowshire RVC, formed at Linlithgow 19 March 1860
  • 2nd Linlithgowshire RVC, formed at Bo’ness 19 March 1860

Our History: Church Bell

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

This time I have delved into the records to find out a little more about  something that is very familiar to both the Congregation and Bo’nessians.  Its sound has summoned many hundreds –even thousands – of parishioners to worship here in the Old Kirk.  It has also marked joyous occasions such as weddings and the not so joyous such as funerals.  I am referring to the Bell in the Bell Tower.  The sound of which we are all familiar with but I am sure but probably know little about what makes that sound.

Not long after the Church was opened in 1888 a committee was formed around about 1892/93 to pursue the installation of a Bell in the Tower.  (Incidentally it would seem to have been very common then to form a committee for all sorts of activity. )

The following information has been gleaned from an excellent record of the inauguration of the Bell found in the Linlithgowshire Gazette dated 25 August 1894.

At the outset of the planning and construction of the Tower, for whatever reason, a bell was not included in the original planning.  However when the Tower was nearing completion the Committee were so enthused by the structure that it was felt that a new bell should be installed.  It would seem from the report in the Gazette that not all of the committee were so minded and it was  “…only through the perseverance of one or two members that such was now an actual fact…”.  The report indicates that the Committee generally had little or no experience in purchasing a bell butit transpires that two members of the committee, namely a Mr Stewart and a Mr Paul, had an interest in such matters.  What that interest was is not detailed but as a result, the bell manufacturers of Messrs Taylor and Co*. were contracted to supply a bell.  (It is recorded that the committee were more than satisfied with the fulfillment of the contract by Taylors.)  Discussions initially took place whether to have a steel bell or a cast metal bell, with a steel bell being firstly considered but on the advice of Mr Stewart a cast bell was finally opted for.

As with many things in the church the next item on the agenda was how would such a bell be funded.  The feeling of the committee was that if they could raise 50% of the required funding they would “…shoulder the balance of the debt until better times…”  It would seem that the congregation were  generous givers because sufficient funds were raised to cover the estimated cost of £94 (£8500 at todays value).  The bell made of bell-metal was therefore purchased and has the tone of F sharp and bears the inscription of “Borrowstoun Parish Church erected 1867; tower; spire and bell added 1894”.

The next matter for consideration was to ensure that the bell actually sounded in F sharp.  This was left to Mr Stewart who indicated that in his opinion the tone was very nearly F sharp.  It is interesting to note that Mr Stewart commented that the bell resembled the one in the U.P. Church and tthat the tone when combined with that of the U.P. Church bell and the town bell “…would have make a grand chord…”

The new bell weighed in at 14 -15 hundredweights  and I have been unable to find any record  as to how it was installed in the tower.  The report of the time notes that the bell was formally inaugurated on a Saturday afternoon and that a number of dignitaries were present.  Interestingly the Rev Robertson-Fullarton was not present , “ …he being unavoidably absent on holiday…”.  His wife Mrs Robertson-Fullarton however was present along with several members of the family.  Mrs Roberston-Fullarton had the honour of giving the first pull of the bell rope.  At the same time the town bell and the U.P. church bell were rung and it was noticed that they harmonized exceedingly well.

The report ends with the information that the party adjourned to the manse where an excellent repast had been provided.

Today the bell is no longer tolled by rope but by mechanical means, however the hole in the floor of the belfry through which the original rope passed is still there to see.  One presumes it was the job of the beadle of the day to toll the bell when required.

*the Bell makers John Taylor and Co, the Loughborough Bell Foundry are still in existence, their motto being –Home of the world’s finest bells-.

Ken

Our History: Communion Tokens

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

Many of you reading this will be aware that, in common with the other Reformed Churches, the Church of Scotland recognises two Sacraments; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion).

In the Old Kirk our practice has been to hold Communion services quarterly (d.v.) and you may recall that prior to these services your district Elder would visit and deliver your “Communion Cards”.  This led to the belief that these cards were a necessary requirement for entrance to the service.  The Church of Scotland require various statistics to be gathered annually and in practical terms they were a means to determine how many members attended communion over the year.  Some years ago the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland decreed that the issue of communion cards was no longer required and as a result many churches, including our own ceased to do so.

Historically however the issuing of a paper based notification in the form of a card was not the first style of such reminders and the reason for their issue was for a somewhat different purpose rather that statistically.

It was John Calvin in the late 16th century who saw the usefulness of using lead tokens as proof that people had been properly instructed prior to coming to the Lord’s Table.  

The French Reformed Church was the first to put Calvin’s suggestion into practice and it later spread to Scotland probably by John Knox and others who had observed the practice on their visits to the Continent. As well as indicating the communicants’ right to partake in the Lord’s Supper it is likely that the tokens also served to safeguard the Reformed churches from spies at a time when church meetings were illegal. The Scots who came in large numbers to Ireland in the 17th century brought with them not only their own ministers but the use of tokens as a means of regulating communion.

The earliest tokens were made of lead but others were of tin, brass or white metal usually by a local blacksmith or silversmith. The tokens generally either bear the initials of the church or of the minister or some other unique feature. Good examples of communion tokens from Presbyterian churches in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Australia have survived.

Communion tokens were commonly used in Presbyterian churches across the world from the Reformation through to the nineteenth century. Anyone attending church who was in possession of a token was known to have proved their spiritual fitness to attend communion. In Lasswade, Midlothian, in 1710, those that were given tokens were “…fund weill instructit in the Belief, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Command”.

Those about to take communion were seated at a table which was separated by a wooden paling from the rest of the church. The table was guarded by two elders who were responsible for ensuring that only those with a token were allowed to sit there. When a large number of people attended, there could be more than one sitting at the table.  Tokens were stamped with the number of the “sitting” the member was required to attend, and the sittings could be linked to the social status of the communicant. Those of the “lower orders” could have to attend in the “wee sma’ hours” whereas those considered more respectable attended later in the day.

The earliest tokens were usually made of lead, copper or tin, and cast in a mould or struck with a punch in a variety of shapes and sizes. The collection in Dunblane Museum has many rectangular, square and circular tokens but there are also more unusual shapes such as hexagonal, oval or heart-shaped.

Early tokens tend to be plain with very little information on them but a date and initials representing either the minister or the parish name.  Later tokens started to show their connection with the communion when biblical texts started to appear on them such as “Do this in remembrance of me” and “Let a man examine himself”. Symbols including the vine, lily, sun, fish etc. also began to appear. The supply of tokens was the responsibility of the minister acting in conjunction with the Kirk Session. Tokens were made for use in one church and not intended to circulate.

 (ref the information for this article was obtained from the Dunblane Museum webpage)

Our History: Roll Of Honour

Robert Jardine has been researching the history of our towns war heroes over the last couple of years.
Here’s his look at the roll of honour which hangs in the Old Kirk and the mysterious case of one of names listed on it.

The Old Kirk’s Roll of Honour is hand-painted vellum framed in oak and commemorates 125 parishioners, listed in three columns. 124 of these men are commemorated on the Bo’ness war memorial. The only man not on the war memorial is at the top of the middle column – W.S. Finlay.

William Finlay was born on 31st July 1877 at North Street, Bo’ness. He was the son of Bernard Finlay, carter, and Margaret Steele, who had married at Bo’ness on 18th September 1868.

William’s siblings were Elizabeth, George, John, Thomas and Margaret.

In 1871, the couple lived with Margaret’s mother, Elizabeth Steele, at Hamilton Square, Bo’ness. Bernard was an ostler.

In 1881, the Finlay family lived at North Street, Bo’ness, and lived there until the death of Margaret in 1916 ,and possibly later. Bernard was a coachman.

Elizabeth Finlay married John Duff at Edinburgh in 1890.

In 1891, Bernard was called William in the census and was a labourer. Young William, now 14, was a grocer.

In 1901, Bernard was still called William and was a mason’s labourer. Son William was an estate labourer.

In 1911, Bernard died on 26th January at 60 North Street. His death certificate named him as Bernard and William registered his father’s death. The census recorded William as a labourer at the [Forth] Shipbreaking yard. He lived with his mother, brother Thomas, and Elizabeth’s children, Elizabeth, Willemina and Johan Duff.

Margaret died on 24th September 1916 at 58 North Street. Again, it was William that registered his parent’s death, but on that occasion he gave his name as William S. Finlay.

Margaret’s maiden name was Steele, and her daughter Margaret had Steele as a middle name although Elizabeth, George and John had the middle name Slight, Margaret’s mother’s maiden name.

Margaret had a son, William Steele, before she married Bernard. The lad was killed on 25th July 1876 when he was crushed between the buffers of two waggons at the head of the west pier at Bo’ness. The procurator fiscal’s report recorded his name as William Steele Finlay. It was not uncommon for children to be given the name of a deceased sibling and it is likely that “our” William was named after his brother when he was born twelve months later.

In 1951, William lived with his niece, Helen Baillie, and her family, at 37 Deanfield Terrace, Bo’ness. He died on 18th July 1951, at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, from cardiac arrest after having broken his femur on 12th July.

Bo’ness Journal, 27th July 1951: Accident Proved Fatal: Mr William Finlay, 37 Deanfield Terrace, who fell off a bus in [Dean Road] Bo’ness on the Fair E’en, died as a result of the injuries he received, in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last Wednesday. He was 74 years of age.

Therefore, the reason that the name of W.S. Finlay was not added to the town’s memorial in 1924 was that he was very much alive. However, the reason that his name is on the Roll of Honour remains a mystery.

Robert Jardine

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.

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