East Dunbartonshire church marks 375th anniversary

An East Dunbartonshire church held a special breakfast and anniversary service to mark 375 years of being a parish.

Hundreds of people attended New Kilpatrick Parish Church in Bearsden to celebrate the milestone yesterday including the Moderator of the General Assembly.

Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton preached a sermon and presented certificates of long service to elders who have dedicated decades of their lives to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The local church's motto is "open hearts, open minds, open faith" and she described the event as inspiring and uplifting.

Rev Roddy Hamilton, minister of New Kilpatrick Parish Church, revealed that New Kilpatrick became a parish church a week after Charles I was beheaded in 1649 but joked that it is not thought the two events are linked.

It was under an act of the Scottish Parliament that the Parish of Kilpatrick was divided into Wester or Old Kilpatrick and Easter or New Kilpatrick.

Mr Hamilton explained: "This year is our 375th anniversary of becoming a parish, an anniversary that is important to us because a parish means caring for neighbours, being part of the shape of our community and giving of self for that neighbourhood.

"There has been a church presence here in Bearsden since the monks forded the River Clyde 50 years after establishing Paisley Abbey.

"The area stretched from Milngavie down to Old Kilpatrick and Bowling and from the River Clyde up into Stirlingshire.

"But it is not about how old we are, or how long we have lasted but that sense of caring for each other is what we celebrate.

"Having been here so long we have many daughter and sister churches and many of them were represented at the anniversary service where the Moderator preached and presented some long service certificates to Ian Winning, Iain Stark and Elaine Thomson.

"Representatives from traders and schools and community organisations also attended.

"This is important to us as a community because it is in partnership with all those living and working in the parish, of all faiths and none, that we can together care and support each other."

Community purpose

The Moderator said it was "wonderful" to see such a wide cross-section of community representatives and ecumenical and interfaith partners at the event.

"The sanctuary was full and the breakfast was heaving, people were queuing out of the door at 9am," she added.

"A lot of thought had gone into the service, children were involved and it was not just a celebration for the congregation but of the part they play in the community.

"There was a real sense of community purpose in that place and I came away buzzing, it was superb.

"I found a congregation not only in good heart but intentionally looking for imaginative ways to be part of the community – to bring people into the space and work outside it."