A Cumbernauld church is set to close its doors for the final time early next year.
Kildrum Parish Church, which has been at the heart of the local community for 60 years, will close in January with the congregation merging with another in the town centre.
Cumbernauld East councillor Adam Smith revealed he has spoken to Church of Scotland representatives about the future of the church in Kildrum, who confirmed the closure.
Ministry staff numbers at the Presbytery of Glasgow are set to be reduced by almost 50 per cent, mainly due to falling church membership and a decrease in financial contributions. There has also been a reduction in the number of people training for the ministry.
The congregation at Kildrum is set to unite with that of St Mungo’s Parish in the town centre. It’s expected there will be a further change when that congregation then joins Cumbernauld Old Parish.
Cllr Smith said: “I know the closure of the church will be incredibly disappointing for the local congregation.
“Although the future of the hall is uncertain, the Church of Scotland appear to be receptive to any potential community ownership bid.
“Kildrum Parish Church is category-B listed by Historic Environment Scotland, so there is a degree of protection for the building.”
The Church of Scotland will be placing the church for sale on the open market and have confirmed they intend to dispose of around one-third of all their buildings in Scotland. This means there is also the potential of further church closures locally at a later date.
It’s not yet clear what will happen with the Kildrum Church building, but the Presbytery of Glasgow insists it’s open to talks with local groups about future use.
The councillor intends to meet with church representatives to discuss the building’s future.
Local people reacted to the news of the closure on Facebook.
Shona Armour said: “That’s sad. I remember it so well from school services to attending Guides in the hall.”
Marion Kusel added: “A church can only exist with people and their beliefs. It is indeed sad that there appears to be no need now after 60 years of devoted service in Kildrum. So many memories for so many. A show of support at 60th anniversary service on December 11 at 11am would be most appreciated I’m sure.”
Stuart Burkhill had fond memories of the church. He said: “Spent many happy years attending 2nd Cumbernauld Boys' Brigade, my gran was also a massive part of the ladies' fellowship and I believe my grandad was an elder, very sad to read of the closure.”
Janice Murray added: “What a shame. I was a member of this church, was married there, and my youngest son was Christened there.”
“This is very sad, when I first moved to Cumbernauld those church bells on a Sunday morning were such a great memory,” Janie McNicol recalled.
However, Jacqui Fairbairn made the point: “For all the people that say it’s sad, do you actually go to church? A bit like all the shops that went to the wall, we didn’t use them.”
A spokesperson for the Presbytery of Glasgow said: “Reducing the number of ministry posts is not an easy task and difficult decisions also need to be made on the future of many church buildings.
“We fully appreciate that this is a worrying time for many people; however, we believe that this can also be an opportunity to refocus our efforts and prepare for ministry in the years ahead.
“In the Cumbernauld and Moodiesburn area, the draft plan proposes a reduction to three congregations. Kildrum church is currently linked with St Mungo’s and will formally unite with St Mungo’s in the future.
"A further union with Cumbernauld Old Parish Church will take place thereafter. With regard to the future of the Kildrum Church building, no final decision has been made but we are happy to talk with local groups with a view to the building being used by the local community.”
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