FERNHILL AND CATHKIN

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

115 Fernhill Road (corner of Neilvaig Drive), Fernhill, Rutherglen, G73 4HP

PARISH PROFILE

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to offer worship to the glory of God, to work in partnership with our communities and to welcome, in friendly and practical ways, those who seek a better understanding of God.

Fernhill and Cathkin is a long established, lively and welcoming congregation. It has several organisations (both youth and adult) which are well supported by its members and others from the local community.

We are seeking an experienced leader to take us forward through the next few years as we aim to become a more vibrant and community centred congregation.

The exterior of the church

The sanctuary

HISTORY

Originally a church extension charge which started life in 1959 in the local school hall, the church grew up in the centre of a growing and changing community with many young families moving into the new housing schemes of Cathkin and Fernhill (and, later on, Springhall). The church building was built and dedicated in 1962 and is sited where the two estates of Fernhill and Cathkin meet.

In the 57 years since we were formed we have been led by 5 Ministers:

Rev Donald RossNov 1959toSep 1967

Rev Frank GibsonMay 1968to May 1972

Rev Ian FisherNov 1972to June 1989

Rev Douglas WallaceApr 1990toNov 2001

Rev Margaret McArthurDec 2002toSep 2015

Nowadays, many of the original tenement buildings in the parish are being replaced with modern detached and semi-detached properties. This re-development is still on-going. With new housing in the area the population will continue to grow.

We have recently been re-designated as a congregation in a priority area and it has recently been confirmed by Presbytery that we haveconsequently been allocated an additional 50% staff member from early 2017. This is an exciting opportunity for us, and we are looking for a Minister who will lead us to connect more fully with the community around us.

CONGREGATIONAL STATISTICS

Congregational roll251

Adherents 7

Average weekly attendance 90

No. of baptisms in 2015 11

No of funerals taken in 2015 34

OUR CONGREGATION AND PARISH

We are a warm and friendly congregation. The current membership is mainly an ageing one although several youth groups thrive within our halls. We are blessed with a number of young families with children of pre-school and school age but there are few members within the 30’s and 40’s age range. However, we see this as an area for growth and have a strong vision for rejuvenation and attempting to reach more young families and encourage their attendance within our groups.

We have good links with the local schools (2 primary and a secondary) with regular visits to the church for services and other activities. Members also have links with the community centres in Fernhill and Springhall as well as the community wing within Cathkin Primary School. The Cambuslang and Rutherglen Reachout Trust, which works in partnership with local churches,supports work with school-aged children and also our annual summer club.

WORSHIP

Weekly worship (at 11:15am) generally follows a traditional pattern although the congregation is not averse to changes and development and the introduction of innovative elements has been made. We are looking forward to developing new forms of worship such as “Messy Church”. A worship group occasionally assists in leading the services and members undertake the reading of the scripture on a weekly basis. A new sound system has recently been installed and a permanent projector was installed to complement it in July 2016.

We have a very accomplished Organist and Choirmaster who leads our small choir. Praise is usually accompanied by our excellent pipe organ and the piano.

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE

We have a wide range of groups and activities for all age ranges within our halls which are well utilised throughout the week. Among the special activities are: we hold occasional soup and sandwich lunches following morning worship, arrange an open-air Easter Service each year on Cathkin Braes, hold an annual evening for the senior citizens within our membership, run occasional ceilidhs and organise an annual Christmas Fayre.

Group / Approxattendance
Youth: / Sunday School / 8-10
Bible Class / 4
Creche / 3
Rockets / Boys & girls, aged 3 to 7 / 50
Guides / 18
Brownies / 20
Boys’ Brigade / 3 sections / 30
Adult: / Guild / 20
Keep Fit / 50
House Groups / 2 meetings / 5-10
Community: / Tea room / Run weekly / 15 to 20
A.A.
Councillor’s surgery

The Boys’ Brigade The Guild

The Kirk Session presently consists of 11 men and 11 women (purely co-incidental),although only 17 of these are presently active, and meets monthly while the Congregational Board meets every second month and has 13 additional members (4 men and 9 women).

In addition to the above, members have an involvement in Crossreach, Christian Aid, Amnesty International, the local foodbank, Rutherglen Community Council, Cathkin Residents Association and Landemar Day (Rutherglen’s annual gala day). The congregation participates in ecumenical activities organised by “Churches Action Partnership in Rutherglen” (CAPiR) as well as holding services in a local sheltered housing complex and a nursing home. For the past 5 years we have supported the work of a Texas-based charity financially as it undertakes a house building project for families living in dire situations. An annual visit to Mexico to assist in the construction has also been undertaken by some members.

BUILDINGS

The church building was opened in 1962 and consists of a sanctuary (seats 400), a large hall (seats 200), small hall (40 seats), session room, kitchen and vestry. The congregation is actively fundraising to upgrade and refurbish the property.

Social event in large hall The Session Room

The vestibule Games in the small hall

The congregation has taken the opportunity created by the vacancy to sell the manse and a more economical one has been purchased (entry in mid-October).

BUILDING A FUTURE TOGETHER

The biggest challenge facing the congregation is the diminishing numbers and, particularly, the lack of younger people following through from the youth groups to membership. We aim to build stronger links with the community. An annual summer club has been held in recent years and has attracted a fair number of children to our premises and we are seeking ways of encouraging those attending further into the church. This work with the youth of the parish needs to be consolidated as does outreach to the middle-aged (another gap in our membership). A recent stewardship conference has provided some ideas which we are presently investigating.

FINANCES

The following is an extract of the attested accounts for 2015.

Income£57,933

Expenditure£57,455

General Account balance£ 5,357

Fabric Fund balance£ 5,747

While we are not a “rich” congregation financially we manage to pay all that is required of us and generally have a bit left over at the end of the year.

MINISTERIAL QUALITIES

We are looking for Minister who;

  • has experience in leadership
  • can lead innovative worship
  • has energy
  • can motivate and move us forward as a congregation
  • is a “people person”
  • can engage with the local community
  • can engage with youth and family work
  • has a commitment to ministry in a priority area.
  • Following discussion, the Kirk Session voted not to depart from the Church's traditional position, and therefore not to accept applications from ministers in civil partnerships.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER

In response to the above the congregation will;

  • offer friendship
  • be welcoming
  • participate in fellowship
  • provide support
  • be forward thinking
  • adapt to change in collaboration with the Minister.

LOCAL CHURCH REVIEW

In 2014 the congregation participated in a local church review. The following are the recommendations made as a result of that process together with a note on our progress in each case.

  1. Upgrade the music/ audio visual system within the church sanctuary in particular.

New mixing desk installed and moved to more convenient position at rear of sanctuary. New projector, also operated from the mixing desk, has recently been installed.

  1. Review and update the Vision/Mission Statement.

Completed.

  1. Develop an outreach programme to connect more effectively with the community.

Recent classification as a church in a priority area opens up opportunities in this area.

  1. Explore the resources and support available as a Priority Area, in particular external funding for specific projects.

The Kirk Session is exploring participation in the Church of Scotland Priority Areas “Chance to Thrive” project.

  1. Engage in a Stewardship Programme.

Held conference and now considering actions.

  1. Explore the situation of the Manse.

Sale of old manse completed and new one within the parish purchased with entry in mid October.

  1. Develop the links further with the church in Indiana, USA and their work in Mexico.

Three people visited Mexico this year to assist in a house building project.

  1. Review the work of the Kirk Session committees in particular the youth committee.

Worship committee to be used more. Other committees still to meet.

  1. Explore ways to develop the existing car park and improve further the provision of car parking for the church.

The Cathkin Relief Road is presently under construction which will provide a better boundary fence. Car park improvements are to be investigated following the erection of this sound suppressing barrier.

PARISH STATISTICS
Population of parish = 4637
If Fernhill and Cathkinwere a village of 100 people...
17 would claim their pension;
5 would be in primary school; 6 would be in high school;
28 would be aged between 25 and 44;
49 of 100 households would be in rented accommodation;
3 households would speak a language other than English in the home;
93 would describe themselves as 'White - Scottish';
11 would be providing unpaid care for more than an hour a week;

11 would describe their health as bad or very bad;

31 would say they belonged to the Church of Scotland.

(Source: Statistics for Mission – 2013)

FURTHERINFORMATION

Should you wish any further information contact:

Rev. Dr. Leslie Milton, Interim Moderator()

or

Mr Fred Abercrombie, Session Clerk ()