Residents have say on church closures
Community councillors on Islay are consulting residents on plans to reduce the number of churches on the island.
Any feedback received will be forwarded to the Church of Scotland which is carrying out reviews and considering halving the number of Islay’s churches.
An open kirk session attended by congregations and some members of the public was convened at Bowmore Round Church by the Church of Scotland on Thursday April 28, but the community council had not been aware of it.
The community council said to the best of its knowledge, the meeting was not publicly advertised.
A Church of Scotland spokesperson said kirk sessions and congregations were being asked to consider potentially entering into a long-term ecumenical partnership to share buildings across the island.
Islay has already moved from five congregations to two – North and West Islay and South Islay. It is proposed that the number of church properties on the island should be reduced from six to three.
One option considered in the latest draft plan is that Kilmeny Church, Portnahaven Church and Columba Hall could be sold sometime within the five-year lifespan of an approved plan.
That final plan must be agreed by the Presbytery, the Faith Nurture Forum and the General Trustees by December 31, 2022.
A proposal was suggested at the April 28 meeting that the buildings could possibly be used to house island people while staying in community ownership.
It is understood that congregations are being asked to put forward a draft plan if they want to retain any of the churches that could be closed. A further meeting will be held soon.
A Church of Scotland spokeswoman said the Presbytery of Argyll set an earlier deadline of June to submit its plan to allow time for amendments and enable approval by December 31 2022.
‘Our Mission Plan sets out the future direction of travel for resourcing the Church within Argyll, both in terms of ministries and buildings, whilst focussing on mission as its driving force.
‘We are at present concluding our consultations with the trustees (Kirk Sessions) of all congregations in the Presbytery and preparing a final draft Presbytery Mission Plan. This has been a mammoth task.
‘Throughout the consultation process, we have redrafted the mission plan a number of times taking cognisance of the views of our congregations.
‘Our consultations with the Kirk Sessions are now drawing rapidly to a close.
‘Following approval of the plan by the end of this year, the Church of Scotland is aiming for implementation by the end of 2025.’
Residents are asked to email their views to islaycommunitycouncil@outlook.com.