A Moffat church has closed its doors until the autumn for a £700,000 refurbishment to secure its long-term future.
The last service at St Andrew’s was held on New Year’s Day.
It means worship for the Church of Scotland congregation will now take place at Kirkpatrick Juxta Parish Church each Sunday at 10am.
It is hoped that phase one of the development will be completed by the autumn with services returning to St Andrew’s.
As the hall is also closed, leaders of groups and organisations which use it have made temporary arrangements so they can continue with their activities.
On Wednesday, church members went in to remove furniture and other items in readiness for building work to begin after a busy year of fundraising which will continue.
The popular church, which is a landmark in the town, had its first service inside on September 23, 1887.
The Gothic-style building, made from red sandstone from the Corncockle quarry near Dumfries at the end of the 19th century, was erected at a cost of £14,900, which included the provision of the manse, furnishings and landscaping.
It is still used for worship on Sundays but the Church of Scotland, in a rethink of its estate across the region, has advised that to avoid the risk of closure, buildings must now also be used extensively “for the benefit of the community” and not “just on Sundays.”
St Andrew’s has been successful in hosting numerous concerts and the congregation sees potential in opening up the church for more community events throughout the week.
But it will need everything from a new eco heating system and insulation upgrade to installing new toilets and audio-visual equipment for inclusivity, and works to create a level floor and new seating.
A statement from the church to explain the redevelopment programme said: “The building is one of the biggest spaces in the area and we believe that going forward there is huge potential to offer the facility for the use of the wider community.
“Being an older building, the church requires significant modernisation to its heating system and this necessary work gives an excellent opportunity to make the building more accessible, comfortable, flexible, environmentally-friendly and available for community
multi-use.”
It is envisaged that it could be used for everything from concerts and exhibitions to weddings, as well as worship.
The total cost of the redevelopment is expected to be £698,000, of which trustees, the kirk session, have committed £400,000 of church funds, of which the majority came from a generous legacy.
The rest is being funded through grant applications and from a fundraising campaign by the congregation which has included a swap shop, ceilidh, fashion sale, Teddy Bear Festival, hog roast at Moffat’s Picnic in the Park, concerts and Christmas Tree Festival.
A donation has also come from the local windfarm fund distributed by ANCBC.
Pitch pine pews from the church are also being sold to raise cash. They are in two sizes, priced at £125 and £250 and are available at 01683 220707 or email: standrewsmoffat@gmail.com.
A church statement this week said: “A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us in our fundraising activities – we have been so blessed by the love and generosity of the community in Moffat.”
The £600,000 first phase of the redevelopment, which is now getting under way, will see the replacement of the inefficient Victorian heating system with a new air source heat pump system.
It will also include the new level floor and the replacement of the pews with individual seats to make for a more friendly and useable space, while the vestibule of the church will house new toilets.
As work on phase one is carried out, fundraising for the £100,000 second phase will continue this year.
That will see the installation of new audio and visual equipment, the fitting of new floor coverings and the purchase of new seating.
Anyone who wants to make a donation can make a cheque payable to: St. Andrew’s Church Moffat Building Development, and is asked to complete a Gift Aid form if a UK taxpayer; or use online digital banking using the following information: sort code – 80-09-11; account number – 00859063; Bank of Scotland – account name as cheque payee.
■ During the church’s closure, anyone needing transport to the Sunday service at Kirkpatrick Juxta Parish Church can get a lift as cars will be leaving the bus stop at Moffat High Street at 9.40am.
