West Kirk Groups

Sunday Club

Sunday Club welcomes all children from 3-11 years. We meet in the morning in the church at 9.45 am  and stay in the service for a short time then head out to the church hall for fun, crafts, DVDs, games and  stories from the bible. The children are actively encouraged to play their part in worship when the occasion arises eg Mothering Sunday, Easter, Harvest, Christmas.

Further details of current activities on our Youth Page.

The Crèche

Crèche facilities for younger children are available in the church hall during Sunday morning worship, staffed by appropriately disclosed members of the congregation.

The Guild

Believe it or not, the Guild has been in existence at the West Kirk for well over 100 years, though none of our current members was present then!!

The Guild nationally has frequently been at the vanguard of changing attitudes within the Church of Scotland both in words and in action. In keeping with the best traditions, our branch involves itself not only with members’ interests and local concerns but also with national and global issues.

Fellowship is enjoyed not only in the West Kirk Guild itself, but on special evenings too with neighbouring branches and other local churches women's groups, bringing closer links with those from other congregations and denominations. In addition, the group fund raise for national Guild projects and other charitable organisations.

Guild members would like to extend a warm invitation to you to come along to any of our meetings and share in the friendship and fellowship.

Currently, West Kirk Guild is 12 strong and we meet monthly on the first Monday evening of the month at 7.45 pm in the church hall during the months of October to April.

The Choir

Sunday by  Sunday, the church has a small choir. At Christmas, an augmented choir holds an Evening of Christmas Music for the community.

Emmaus Group

The Emmaus group is a small informal house-group meeting on the the last Tuesday of the month to spend time chatting, discussing parts of the Bible and praying together.

Why did we choose the name Emmaus? Two people were on their way to Emmaus when they met Jesus. They had a meal with him, talked about parts of the Bible then, as a result, the people understood more of who Jesus is and were changed by the experience.

We are hoping, in a small way, for a similar result, and you would be welcome to join in.

We meet on the last Tuesday of the month 8pm. If you are interested you are welcome to come along or you can phone 01506 873532 or email jean@apringle.co.uk for more information.

Kirk Session and Congregational Board

Session currently comprises 17 members of the congregation and is chaired by the minister in the role of moderator.

The Board consists of 16 members along with the minister. Eight of these are Kirk Session elders and 8 are members from the congregation, elected at the congregation's Annual Stated Meeting in March. Members serve for a period of 3 years, with a third retiring on rotation each year.

The congregation had operated under a “Quad Omnia” system for many years and several years ago a committee structure was introduced to facilitate session business. However, at a special meeting on 10th March 2013, the congregation unanimously agreed with a recommendation from Session to adopt a "Quaod Sacra" (or Model) Constitution. From April 2014, this altered the way in which the congregation's affairs were managed with the formation of a Congregational Board.                             Meantime, some committees continue to support the work of Session and  Board.

Session meetings are held bimonthly on the first Thursday of the month at 7.30pm.with the Board meeting alternate months.

The committees are:

Pastoral Care

This group is a contact point for and explores the need for pastoral care within the congregation and parish, supplementing and supporting the minister in visiting, as well as organising trips and social events. The main focus has been the elderly and housebound, where members of the group have initially started regularly visiting some of the congregation highlighted to them, but the committee is also receptive to all names forwarded by the minister and elders. The committee is also responsible for organising the availability of transport for services and social events.

Worship

The worship group assist the minister in developing, extending and expanding the worship life of the Church. In this respect, they are particularly involved in the short, informal services held monthly in local sheltered accommodation.

The Education and Communication Committee

The role of this committee is to facilitate open lines of  communication between members of the congregation, the church organisations and the community, advising on dissemination of information and publications. The committee also has an overall responsibility for Christian education for adults and children, including training for elders and Sunday school staff.

Fund-raising Committee

The Fund Raising Group primarily organise Candy Bars, the mainstay of regular fund raising. These are held on the first Saturday of the months September through to June (excepting January), where morning teas and coffees with cake & candy stall are available, followed by lunches . These events are supported and manned on rota by various church organisations, whilst at the December event there are also stalls provisioned by each group. In addition, the Fund Raising Group organise occasional functions.