brucefield church whitburn profile june... · brucefield parish profile april 2013 1 | p a g e...

Following a period of Interim Ministry, Brucefield was given permission in March 2013 to call a Minister on the basis of unrestricted tenure. We are seeking a Minister to lead us in the next chapter of the congregation’s service and witness to the Kingdom of God.

Brucefield Church of Scotland 60 East Main St

Whitburn EH47 0RD

Scottish Charity no SC003362

[email protected] www.brucefieldchurch.org.uk

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Brucefield Parish Profile April 2013

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Brucefield Church The recent past In 2011, following the retirement through ill-health of the previous minister, West Lothian Presbytery, in consultation with the congregation, agreed to an Interim Ministry. Previous controversial plans had been for the demolition of the buildings, with land sold off to pay for rebuilding on a smaller footprint. Alongside this a business plan was developed for a Community Project based in the new buildings. These plans had to be abandoned when, in December 2008, the sanctuary building was ‘A’ listed by Historic Scotland. The situation was exacerbated when Presbytery instructed the congregation to demolish the Manse as it was deemed unfit for use. Already strained relationships within the leadership were further tested by the appointment of a Committee of Enquiry under the ‘Congregations in unsatisfactory state’ legislation. This process was halted when the Minister retired on the grounds of ill-health. This left a situation later described as “a bewildered congregation, a dispirited Kirk Session, a leaky Church, a demolished Manse, an anxious Presbytery and an empty bank account”! Interim Ministry These parameters set the agenda for the Interim Ministry and since the appointment of an Interim Minister in January 2012 good progress has been made. Three new elders have since been added to the Kirk Session, to supplement the five Assessor elders appointed by Presbytery. A new Session Clerk, Depute Session Clerk and Treasurer have all been appointed. Necessary repair work on the ‘A’ listed sanctuary has been planned and more than 90% of the required Phase One funding of £460,000 has been raised. With the generous assistance of the General Trustees a new manse has been bought and the site of the previous manse is being sold to help offset this cost. Following a successful holiday club in summer 2012, run jointly with Whitburn South Parish Church and Whitburn Pentecostal Church, a small Sunday School has been restarted. Worship has been well attended in recent months and the introduction of Powerpoint projection has been widely appreciated.


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The challenge ahead Brucefield church building occupies a prominent position on the main street of the town, there is a committed and generous congregation and, with a variety of organisations, good contact with the community, including the Primary and Secondary Schools. With a major repair project in the pipeline there is a great opportunity to write a new chapter in the story of Brucefield’s worship, witness and service in the town of Whitburn. What is needed is the right ministerial leadership to help bring the potential to reality. If you are a suitably qualified minister and are interested in exploring this challenge please contact the Interim Moderator, Rev John Collard. Applications should be in the form of a CV and the names of two referees. Contact details Brucefield Church of Scotland 60 East Main St Whitburn EH47 0RD 01501 748666 [email protected] www.brucefieldchurch.org.uk


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Spiritual The congregation has a distinct preference for lively praise and evangelical preaching and recent ministers have been committed to providing a structured diet of expository sermons. Public worship is held at 11am each Sunday and the congregation has a cherished reputation for being friendly and welcoming, as well as being enthusiastic singers. Brucefield is fortunate to have had the long-term services of a competent organist who is also a child of the congregation and an ordained elder. Music is provided by an Allen organ supplemented with a Yamaha keyboard and electronic piano, providing varied accompaniments to suit upbeat choruses and traditional hymns alike. The congregation responds well to the regular introduction of new hymns. The praise is also led by a choir of 10 mixed voices who introduce each service with an introit. Members of the congregation participate in the Scripture readings, which are preceded by the singing of Psalm 119:18. Until summer 2011 a regular evening service was held and ceased due to the death of the elder who prepared and led the worship. Regular home Bible study is encouraged through the availability of a variety of daily study guides published by Scripture Union. In 2011 a Christianity Explored course was presented on a midweek afternoon and evening, attracting 34 attendees who found it helpful and inspirational. In 2012 an Enquirers Course resulted in seven adults joining the church by Profession of Faith. Brucefield’s long established Guild is run by a highly motivated and enthusiastic committee and meets every second Wednesday from September to April. Numbers have doubled with the realisation that older members were increasingly reluctant to attend on the dark winter evenings and moving the meetings to mid-afternoon. No such simple solution has yet been found to the reluctance of men to join the Guild! With a programme of interesting speakers, two outings and a Christmas Dinner, the Guild is much valued by its members. The Guild makes a contribution to the life of the church far beyond its size and is also a significant charity fund raiser.

Watching Watoto Choir - March 2012


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Pastoral As well as the usual system of pastoral care offered by elders’ and minister’s visits, Brucefield operates a Befrienders service to ageing, infirm or ill members. This provides a visitor who maintains the link with those who are less able to leave their homes or who have become totally housebound. Related to this is the Flower Ministry whose volunteers deliver the Sunday floral arrangements that have been used in the sanctuary to the elderly, sick or bereaved. In recent times there have been around 50 funerals per year. Members are kept well informed of church activities and events via a Sunday Service Sheet and a quarterly Congregational Bulletin. Both of these are prepared and printed ‘in house’. There have also been occasions when special outreach Bulletins have been professionally colour printed and distributed to the entire parish. Regular weekly meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and Slimming World are held in the church halls. Other occasional use is made of the halls by the wider community for children’s parties, coffee mornings and the like, and the local authority utilise the premises for an election Polling Place.

Toddler’s party


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Youth There is a small Sunday School for Primary School age children during the Sunday morning service as well as a crèche for babies and toddlers. Along with Whitburn South Parish Church, Whitburn Pentecostal Church and the Gospel Hall, Brucefield is part of a Team Chaplaincy that works in the three Primary Schools, Secondary School and the Special School in the town. There are good relationships with all the schools (all of which are open and receptive) and two of the Primary Schools hold end of term services at Brucefield. Brucefield Toddlers is a weekly session on Tuesday mornings for parents and toddlers. Staffed entirely by church volunteers, it is running at maximum capacity. It includes a monthly Patch (Parents And Toddlers CHurch) Praise, aimed specifically at this age group. We also operate Cosy Café on Wednesday lunchtimes, again staffed by church volunteers, offering free hot chocolate and a warm and safe environment for Academy pupils. Over 150 teenagers regularly use this free service, many of whom will have no other attachment to any church. Christian popular music is played and literature is made casually available. Staff are willing to speak sensitively to any youngster who wants to know more about the faith. Brucefield sponsors one of West Lothian’s largest and most successful Scout groups. Formed in 1912, the 7th West Lothian (Brucefield) Scout Group consists of the main troop, an Explorer Scout Unit, a Cub Pack and a Beaver Colony. There is good leader support for all sections and their lively activities fill the church halls on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Outings, camping and major expeditions are integrated parts of the programme. The Scout Group has also operated a “Scout Christmas Post” for over 25 years, a valued service to the local community as well as being a significant earner for group funds. The church halls are also “home” to Guides, Brownies and Rainbows on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. As with the Scouts, there is good staffing and leader support for all units. A varied programme of activities includes badge-work, crafts, games, singing and outings. On Friday nights a Youth Drop-in is held in the halls. Open to youngsters of Secondary School age there is table tennis, air-hockey, Play Station, as well as opportunity just to sit and chat. Run by volunteers from different churches, it is co-ordinated by the Youth Pastor at Whitburn Pentecostal Church. Brucefield’s uniformed youth organisations participate in an annual parade and service each May. The worship service is geared specifically to the youngsters, though the congregation also enjoys the occasion.

Cosy Café


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Liberality In an area not known for its affluence and with an older membership, Brucefield is nevertheless one of the West Lothian Presbytery’s most generous giving congregations. But with an extensive suite of buildings in need of regular maintenance and repair, resources are often stretched. Year by year however, the congregation manages to meet all its commitments to the local and wider work of the Church and just about break even. Following the abandonment of plans for demolition and rebuild, a fundamental rethink resulted in plans drawn up for the repair of the ‘A’ listed sanctuary. The budget for Phase One of this repair work is £460,000 and required some serious Fund Raising efforts both from the congregation and from other Trusts and Funds. The congregation committed to raising £30,000, and at the time of writing (May 2013) had achieved £25,000 in one year. The lion’s share of the funding is a grant under the Repair to Places of Worship in Scotland scheme run by Historic Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund, who have committed £269,500 to the project. At the present time we are within £20,000 of the budget target and expect to start work on the sanctuary in second half of 2013. Despite our own financial challenges, Brucefield has never abandoned its Christian liberality on behalf of others. Every Communion Service (four times a year) there is a retiral offering for a specific charitable purpose. The 2011 Harvest Thanksgiving included an additional thank-offering which raised £560 for Famine relief in East Africa. Every Christmas the congregation gives generous support to the West Lothian Toy Appeal for underprivileged children, filling an average 24 “Santa sacks” with gifts and wrap. Other initiatives support Christian Aid, the Leprosy Mission. TEAR Fund and the Scottish Bible Society, not forgetting the charity projects of the Guild. The congregation is also justly proud of its long commitment to Fairtrade. Operating a monthly church stall with sales exceeding £2,000 per year, this initiative has since led to regular local church co-operation through events such as coffee mornings, and to Whitburn becoming a “Fairtrade Town”.

Christianity Explored Course


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Building repair project The plans for demolition and rebuild had to be abandoned following the ‘A’ listing of building in 2008 and this led to a fundamental re-think about what to do with the buildings. Extensive discussions in the Kirk Session resulted in the decision to repair the sanctuary and a fund raising drive was started. The repair project falls into three phases: Phase One is to repair the roof of the sanctuary and replace the roughcast on the exterior walls. This is the major part of the total necessary repairs and most of the funds required for Phase One (£460,000) have been secured. The biggest part of this (£269,500) has come from the Repairs to Places of Worship in Scotland scheme, and represents their maximum available grant. The balance has come from a variety of other grant making bodies with a £30,000 contribution from the congregation. This work should commence in second half of 2013 and the build time is estimated at 6 months. The congregation will be required to vacate the sanctuary for at least part of this time and would use the halls for worship over this period. Phase Two is the replacement of the West Window screen in the sanctuary. This has been estimated by the Quantity Surveyor at £70,000 and would be eligible for grant funding under the Repairs to Place of Worship in Scotland scheme. It was not included in the Phase One works in order to spread the cost. Phase Three is the replacement of the heating system and the installation of an audio-visual system. This work would be classed as ‘development’ rather than ‘repair’ and therefore not eligible for grant funding under the Repairs to Places of Worship in Scotland scheme. No detailed costs have been obtained but this work is likely to be around £20,000.


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Some historical background When Whitburn was little more than a hamlet, the area was within the Parish of Livingston. When full parish status was attained, a new church building was erected in 1729 under the patronage of the local landowners, the Baillies of Polkemmet. Such “patronage” was a live issue at the time, with those who wanted the right to call a minister without recourse to a “patron” seceding from the Established Church and forming new congregations. Whitburn had its own seceders, who walked many miles to Craigmailen in the Bathgate Hills for Sunday worship before creating a secession church in the town in 1766. These pioneers were the forerunners of Brucefield Church. Their numbers grew until, just two years later, the congregation called the Rev Prof Archibald Bruce to be their minister, operating both a church and a theology college within their first buildings on the Lanark road. A memorial plinth now marks the spot, and one of the original foundation stones is preserved in a small cairn at the present church location. In 1857 the congregation, by then known as Whitburn Free Church, moved to a smart new building near the centre of town. In 1929, with the argument over members’ rights long resolved, the congregation re-joined the Established Church, adopting the name Brucefield as a link with its first minister. By 1966 the congregation had begun to outgrow its buildings once more, and a new sanctuary building was constructed. This created today’s complex of buildings all on one site consisting of a 400 capacity worship building and three halls with well appointed kitchen and toilets.

The heady optimism of the 1960’s was followed by the gradual secularisation of society over later decades that led to a decline in church attendance. A realistic pruning of the membership figures has resulted in around 250 on the active roll, with almost 200 on the supplementary roll. There are 18 elders, 16 with district responsibilities. The Kirk Session meets monthly. Operating under the unitary constitution, elders are responsible for both the spiritual and temporal affairs of the congregation.

Today’s congregation has proved itself amazingly resilient and determined in the face of the difficulties of recent times and, while predominantly older, has the desire and the potential to serve the Kingdom of God in fresh ways.

Nativity service


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Whitburn The town’s location at the heart of the central belt, with good access to fast road and rail links, places it within easy reach of Edinburgh, Livingston and Glasgow. The re-opening of Bathgate rail station in 2010, and the new M8 motorway junction 4a (planned to open at end of 2013), have enhanced this situation. This has given the town “dormitory” status for those who work in the nearby industrial estates or in the cities and this means that it is part of the growing population of West Lothian. When the First Statistical Account was compiled in the late 18th century, Whitburn was described as “a village of 500 souls”. It was a typical rural situation, with employment being predominantly farming and weaving. The development of coal and shale mining in the early 20th century was to transform the area and increase the population. A large scale exodus from Glasgow in the 1960’s further boosted the West Lothian population with Whitburn expanding to its present size of circa 12,000. Today’s community is well served with four primary and one secondary school as well as good leisure facilities such as swimming pool, community centre and several parks with all-weather pitches. Deep mined coal, once a major source of employment in the town, has long gone. Opened in 1922, Polkemmet Colliery once dominated the landscape and was the biggest coal mine in Scotland. It flooded badly during the miners’ strike of 1984/85 and never reopened. The site has since undergone extensive clearance work and is earmarked for significant future development of housing and leisure facilities. No single large employer is now based in the town, but the surrounding area is well served with employment opportunities in the many industrial and business parks. The expansion of Livingston further improved job variety and availability, and led to the development of superb new shopping facilities at Almondvale. Sadly, like shopping malls everywhere, this impacted upon traditional High Street shopping and Whitburn has not been immune.

The town retains a strong sense of identity and community spirit. This is reflected in its award winning brass band (Scottish and British Champions on several occasions) and football team (Scottish Junior Cup Winners in 2000), but is perhaps most evident in its annual town Gala which continues to enjoy the enthusiastic support of the entire community.

Jubilee party - June 2012


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Manse

The manse is a modern (built 1988) house in a small estate of private houses on the south

edge of the town. It has 4 bedrooms (master en suite), three public rooms downstairs as

well as a south facing conservatory and a large breakfast room/kitchen.

It is a 5 minute drive or 15 minute walk from the church.

brucefield church whitburn profile june... · brucefield parish profile april 2013 1 | p a g e...

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