Church closures threat as Kirk acts on crisis
Lamlash prepares to fight Church of Scotland proposals
Sweeping plans by the Church of Scotland could see the closure of three churches on Arran as the Kirk battles crippling costs in the upkeep of the buildings with ever-dwindling congregations.
Lamlash could be the biggest loser with plans to shut the 136-year-old Lamlash Parish Church and the church hall, with the churches in Corrie and Kilmory also earmarked to go.
Arran currently has no permanent full-time ministers following a series of retirals during the pandemic, with services presently being conducted by retired ministers, interim moderators and lay readers.
Church membership has also continued to drop at an alarming rate with just 421 Church of Scotland members left on the island, according to 2020 Kirk figures. The largest number, 115, are in Brodick, and the lowest, just 24, in Corrie.
Along with the church closures, the plan is to employ two full-time ministers, with different roles, to serve the remaining four island churches in Brodick, Whiting Bay, Shiskine and Lochranza. The seven existing Kirk Sessions would form into one island-wide congregation.
The Tin Church at Pirnmill is also expected to close but is not in the current proposals, as the former Free Church does not belong to the Kirk.
The Church of Scotland is reducing the number of buildings across Scotland and Ardrossan Presbytery, which looks after Arran, and has now finalised its latest proposals which were announced to the seven congregations at their services on Sunday.
However, the congregation in Lamlash have already mobilised to fight the proposal, which they fear will leave the administrative capital of Arran without any Church of Scotland, or any church, presence at all.
And there is real concern there will be no place in the village to host coffee mornings, toddler groups, dance classes, Messy Church, AA meetings, Skinnymalinks, Memory Café, fundraisers, and other events.
They have already held two fact-gathering meetings and are compiling a report into why the church should be retained.
A statement prepared by former session clerk Ian Watt for the Kirk Session states: ‘If both (the church and hall) are closed, there is no community meeting place of any size. There is no public hall and the use of the community facilities in the high school are very limited since the school has first call on them, often at short notice, judging from previous experience. This is a dreadful retrograde step and does no credit to the Church of Scotland.
‘We all know of the church’s problems, but this whole situation in Lamlash involves more people than those involved in the local church; it affects the whole community regardless of any church connection. The consequences may therefore
The 48-page draft Ardrossan Presbytery mission plan outlines the rationale in choosing the Arran church buildings to keep or to dispose of.
It states: ‘Brodick St Bride’s Church is in the main town (sic) and the place where there is the main port for the ferries. It also houses the food bank and so this building should be retained.
‘Corrie Church has a very small congregation and is struggling to support itself and it scored relatively poorly in the AMBA (A Belonging@ Work) audit. This building should be disposed of.
‘Kilmory Parish Church is at the end of a single track road about 1.5 miles outside the village with few people attending on a Sunday. The building is in poor condition as highlighted in the AMBA audit and this building should be disposed of.
‘Lamlash Parish Church is a very large building (probably the largest on the island). With a decreasing congregation, it was felt that in time, the congregation would struggle to maintain the building. The hall, while well-used, has a very high ceiling. These buildings should be disposed of.
‘St Bride’s Church in Lochranza would serve the people in the north of the island. Lochranza is also the port for the small ferry sailing to the Mull of Kintyre and so it was felt important that this building was retained.
‘Shiskine St Molio’s Church should be retained as it is the only church on the west of Arran and serves the villages of Shiskine and Blackwaterfoot.
‘Whiting Bay and Kildonan church building is a more compact building than Lamlash and much easier to maintain alongside the attached hall. Scripture Union and the Seaside Mission have for over 50 years used this church as a base during the summer months.
‘One parish will allow a united voice on Arran and allow the church to combine resources - financially and in terms of skills. All Kirk Sessions spoke about increased use of technology for example and combining their resources and having a united leadership could allow them to do this in a co-ordinated way.
‘At present, there are seven Kirk Sessions on Arran. Clearly this is a big ask for one minister, and so the proposal to have one Kirk Session should alleviate this,’ the report states.