Annan Old Parish Church of linked with Parish Church of Scotland

Annan Old Parish Church Dornock Parish Church

Parish Profile ANNAN OLD PARISH CHURCH and DORNOCK CHURCH PARISH PROFILE 16/9/14

The Charge of Annan Old Parish Church of Scotland (also known as “Annan Old”, Scottish Charity No. SC010555) linked with Dornock Parish Church of Scotland (Charity No. SC004542) has two distinct parishes. The Linkage was formed in 2007 when the Minister at Dornock retired. The Dornock Parish also covers the nearby township of Eastriggs. The Charge had, until recently, the services of a Parish Assistant (shared with other local Church of Scotland churches). The post is currently vacant but it has been advertised and expected to be filled in the near future.

There are, in addition, two retired Ministers and a Reader among the membership.

ANNAN OLD PARISH CHURCH and HALL Both the church and hall are fitted with sound amplification and inductive loop The present church building, which is a Grade ‘A’ listed building, was erected in systems. 1789 and replaced the old Parish Church which stood on the site of the Town Hall. The church hall is owned by the congregation and was built in 1929. The It is a building typical of those commonly built at the time being oblong in shape premises comprise a large hall and with the chancel and pulpit central on the long south wall. Either side of the stage and is capable of seating 250 chancel are particularly fine commemorative stained glass windows which have people; a kitchen which has recently been renovated. been modernised; a toilet and small The Ingram organ which had been in use since the 1920s was replaced in 1998 storage room off the kitchen and with a Wyvern electronic organ, but to maintain the appearance of the church additional storage space in a small cellar. Church Hall entrance the speakers have been placed on the sound boards of the old organ behind the The front entrance to the hall has wheelchair access and there are two toilets, pipes. one having facilities for disabled visitors, off the vestibule. Central to the balcony, which is on MANSE three sides of the church, is the Provost¹s Box from the time when Purchased in 1995 this 1970’s built spacious family home is situated in a quiet, Annan had a Town Council and the private residential, area on the south side of Annan. It is in comfortable walking bibles for the various council office distance of the High Street and church. bearers are still in place. This is The accommodation is on two storeys now only used once a year by the comprising on the ground floor, official party at the Kirkin¹ of the entrance hall, large lounge, dining Cornet. On the north side of the room, study, kitchen and bathroom. church is the Session House and On the upper floor there are five bed- vestry with the two entrances to the rooms and a toilet with wash basin. building. Inside Annan Old

There is an attached single garage A phased repair and renovation programme to the exterior of the church was and the property is surrounded by completed about ten years ago. This involved repair/ replacement of stone in the easily maintained gardens, mainly front aspect of the church building and tower. The church roof has also recently lawn with some borders and mature been repaired and re-slated. Grants from Historic Scotland were obtained for shrubs. much of this work. Some minor maintenance is still needed on the windows and There is a rolling programme of maintenance for the manse that includes interior the internal decoration of the church is under review. The church building is decoration. The most recent work undertaken was to replace the windows and sound and in good order. front and back doors with uPVC double glazed units. The church is easily accessed by the disabled and has wheelchair spaces in the The property has gas central heating. seated area downstairs.

Page 1 Mission Statement PASTORAL AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

“At Annan Old Parish Church we follow the teachings of Jesus. We aim to The church constitution is Quod Omnia and has a Kirk Session of 44 elders of be an open, welcoming fellowship that provides a safe place where people whom a small number are inactive. of all ages may grow, prayerfully, in their faith and enhance their life in and with Christ”. Each active elder has a district made up of approximately 15 households covering a membership of 395 persons.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORSHIP The Session meets usually on the third Tuesday of each month except July and August and exceptionally at other times as required. The main worship service takes place in the church at 11.15am each Sunday and is normally led by the minister. Children are present until after the second To enable the Session to maintain oversight of all the activities of the church the praise item when they leave to continue their Sunday Club. Session has subgroups, appointed annually in September, with specific respon- sibilities and powers, each of which reports to the full Session and these are as An evening service is held at 6.30pm on the first Sunday of each month and is follows:- usually an informal communion. FINANCE AND FABRIC Communion is presently celebrated three times a year at morning worship as follows:- 1st Sunday in New Year; 1st Sunday in June; 1st Sunday in October Made up of elders and co-opted members and responsible to the Session for all matters of Finance and Fabric. This group¹s remit is to maintain all buildings in In addition to these it has been the normal practice to have an evening a satisfactory condition and to ensure financial control over expenditure. Minor communion on Maundy Thursday, but this is now shared with ‘Annandale repairs to a maximum cost of £2,000 including VAT can be authorised by this Churches Together’ as are other services in Holy Week with the exception of a group. The treasurer has power to meet expenditure not exceeding £500 Final Hour of the Cross Service on Good Friday. This service takes place in without obtaining authorisation. Annan Old from 2pm to 3pm. This group organises half yearly appeals at the two main communions and a Gift It has been our recent practice to hold a Christingle Service for all ages on Day appeal in the autumn. Christmas Eve at 6.30pm and a short Christmas Morning Service at 10am PASTORAL CARE GROUP followed by mince pies, cake and coffee.

All Age Worship Services are a feature of the worship life of the church and are A group of elders and co-opted members who assist the minister with pastoral arranged by the minister and Sunday Club as and when rather than on a fixed visits and keep contact with the sick, elderly and housebound. They also advise pattern. the minister about Points of Need visits, and are responsible for the distribution of the church flowers. The praise book in normal use is CH4. In addition Songs of God¹s People and SOCIAL EVENTS GROUP Mission Praise Combined are also available. The church also holds a Christian Copyright Licence for words and music. A small group of elders whose remit is to plan and organise social events for the

The pew bibles are the Good News Bible, as is the lectern bible. church. These have included barbecues, calypso evenings, church Christmas lunches and many others.

EDUCATION GROUP SPECIAL SERVICES

Kirkin’ of the Cornet takes place on the Sunday before Riding of the Marches. A small group of elders and Sunday Club Leaders who work with the minister to develop Christian education for the whole church. The minister meets the official party at the Town Hall, leads prayers at the war memorial then parades along the High Street to the church, CHURCH ORGANISATIONS

A Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial is conducted by the PRAYER GROUP ministers of the town in rotation and when a minister leads this his/her church will have the party from the British Legion and standard bearers at an 11.15am A small group of people who meet weekly for prayer and discussion on a service. In other years various uniformed organisations are allocated to attend Thursday lunchtime. At these times the church is open for private prayer or a each church. time of quiet. Page 2 THE GUILD TODDLERS GROUP

From late September to April this group meets twice monthly on a Tuesday This group is for mums, dads, grandparents and toddlers and meets in the hall evening in the church hall and currently has about 40 members including some on a Wednesday morning. The group is supervised by members of the congre- men. Programmes are varied and follow the Guild theme for the year. This is a gation of Annan Old Church but is organised by the adults that bring the children very active group which over the years enriched the life of the church and has and there are more than 40 youngsters that regularly attend. provided a generous financial contribution. It has not been the practice for many years to expect the minister¹s wife to be Convenor. In addition to “Toys and Toast” there is often an opportunity to enjoy some music and a chance to sing traditional nursery songs. FRIENDSHIP CLUB

This club meets on alternate Monday afternoons in the hall for a chat, a light SHOEBOX APPEAL lunch and some entertainment. It was started to meet an identified need for the more active elderly but is open to everyone and has about 25 people who attend This is a very active group that organises the gathering of materials for the shoe- from our own and other churches. boxes and arranges a packing night when people gather in the church hall, at Annan Old, to wrap and fill more than three hundred shoeboxes for the

SUNDAY CLUB Samaritan’s Purse annual appeal. The group also co-ordinates the collection of shoeboxes from schools and businesses in the eastern side of the county and Meets at 11am on a Sunday transports them to a central warehouse. morning in the church hall and shares in worship with the In recent years some members of this group have been able to visit Belarus and congregation from 11.15am until help distribute boxes to children there. after the second hymn then returns to the hall until the end of OTHER INFORMATION morning worship. There are around 20 children who attend ECUMENICAL RELATIONS regularly. The club follows a Annan Old is a member of the Annandale Churches Together (A.C.T.) group and programme prepared by leaders relations with the other churches in the town are extremely good. We work and where possible shares the together to plan Holy Week and Christmas to ensure there are no conflicting theme of the message the adults services. Members of all churches in the town also participate in shared Lenten will hear in church. Studies in the weeks leading up to Easter. We share an early morning (8am) Some of the Sunday Club in the hall outdoor service at The Moat, in Annan, on Easter Day followed by a cooked SINGING GROUP breakfast in one of the churches.

A sort of choir which started informally some years ago with less than a dozen A vital support to the less advantaged people of Annan and district is Kate’s and now has 40 members. The group sings in morning and evening worship Kitchen, a venture that was originally set up under the auspices of A.C.T. to from time to time and is in demand locally to give concerts and introduce lively provide a safe place for people in need to have a hot meal and be guided to praise. They meet to practise on Monday evenings each week. The range of information sources on topics like social services and benefits. The local council music sung by the group is very wide covering classics, songs from the shows has taken over responsibility for some of the project’s funding so A.C.T. is no and pop both in the religious and secular. longer involved in running the project. However, the A.C.T. Committee supports TEN Plus the work of Kate’s Kitchen and encourages church members, some from Annan Old, to help as volunteer staff in a range of roles. This group started a few years ago as a combined youth club/ post Sunday School youth fellowship. It is open to youngsters from P6 to S3 and meets in the Each summer for one week A.C.T. runs a Scripture based holiday club for church hall on Sunday evenings (during school term) for a time of fun, games primary school age kids. This event has been running for more than fifteen years and discussion. As many as twenty have been known to attend many have no and regularly attracts in excess of one hundred youngsters. People from all of the church connection. In recent years the group have been to “SPREE in the town’s churches take part in leading and preparing for this event and it is Borders”, a weekend event for young Christians. particularly well supported by many folks from Annan Old.

Page 3 A spin off from the Summer Holiday Club is Fridays in Faith. Now entering a sixth The belfry of Dornock Church holds a replica bell, the original bell being held in year F in F is an opportunity for folks of all ages to enjoy fun, games, crafts, sing- Bowness-on-Solway Church, the victim of a ‘Border Raid’ a long time ago. ing, challenges, food, reflection and Christian learning in an informal way at a, BAXTER HALL usually, neutral venue. This has proved to be a very popular and for some, non- church people, their only way of exploring spiritual questions. The events are The hall was gifted to the sponsored by A.C.T. but organised and led by mainly lay people and again well church by the Baxter family supported by Annan Old members. and was built in 1932. It is situated in Eastriggs township OTHER CHURCHES IN ANNAN about a mile east of Dornock.

St Andrew¹s Parish Church of Scotland; United Reformed Church; St John¹s The hall seats between 130 Episcopal Church and St Columba¹s Catholic Church. and 150 people. To the rear are the Session Room, a CHAPLAINCY kitchen and two cloak rooms.

The minister is normally appointed chaplain to Newington Primary School and As Eastriggs has no large shares in the chaplaincy at Annan Academy. public hall the Baxter Hall is

There is a small hospital in Annan which has a chaplain appointed by the used by several non- church presbytery. groups such as the S.W.R.I. The hall is frequently used for funerals. Baxter Hall Major hospitals are located at and . Visitation is required but there are no direct chaplaincy responsibilities. WORSHIP

Services are held at Lydiafield Residential Home and Day Centre and are A family service is held in the Baxter Hall at 10am on the 1st, 3rd and 5th organised by the minister who serves as chaplain. Sundays while Morning worship takes place in Dornock Church also at 10am on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. The minister is usually chaplain to the local Royal British Legion group. Holy Communion is celebrated twice yearly in Spring and Autumn. In addition DORNOCK PARISH CHURCH two short Communions are held after services, one in the Baxter Hall and one in

Situated in Dornock, the present church was erected in 1793 replacing an older the church. The dates being agreed by session at the request of the building nearby. Seating 300, the church is “T” shaped and is entered by the congregation. main door at the north end, or one of the two doors at either end of the Chancel. On certain occasions, such as Harvest festival, Remembrance Sunday and the

There is a central pulpit in the Sunday before Christmas one service only is held in the church at 10am.

Chancel and box pew on the A candle lit Carol Service is held at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve followed by a west side. The Vestry lies to the short celebration of Communion for those who wish to participate. east side of the chancel. There The congregation enjoy many different forms of service. The Christmas Family are four windows in the south Service usually takes a dramatic form with people of all ages taking part along Chancel wall, two hold stained with the children. Drama has also been successfully used at other services glass and two are clear glass. throughout the Church Year. The church has a small central Nave. A small gallery in the north A very special service is the Maundy Thursday Supper when members and end of the church is not in use at friends partake of a simple meal of soup, bread, cheese and a cup of tea the moment. interspersed with readings. This then flows into a celebration of Communion the elements being passed from hand to hand round the table. Music is provided by a small electronically driven organ that Elders and members are willing, eager and able to sing all manner of praise has two keyboards and pedals. using CH3, songs of God’s People and Common Ground as the sources. Singing is to an organ as we share an organist with Annan Old Parish Church. Re-plastering and redecoration of the church has been carried out. Page 4 ECUMENICAL events in Dornock Church include a Maundy Supper and the HISTORY wreath laying at the Memorial on Remembrance Sunday. The town of Annan has been in existence from, it would appear, sometime BC, The Minister at Dornock Church is currently Chaplain to Eastriggs Primary the first reference to Christianity being in 583 AD when St. Mungo landed at School. Waterfoot and preached at Hoddam.

CHURCH ORGANISATIONS Being a border town there have been many occasions when the town was sacked by the English. But the townspeople always rebuilt and stayed on. The Ladies Fellowship, with about sixteen members, meets once a month from October to March for devotions and to hear speakers on a wide variety of Robert Burns was associated with the town when, as an excise man, he was subjects. They also support the church financially. It’s members also produce involved in trying to stop the smuggling trade which was very active in this area. goods to stock the stalls at fund raising events and are always ready to help out The Rev. Henry Duncan, who founded the first savings bank at nearby at all church functions. Ruthwell, has associations with Annan in that he presided over the church The Sunday Club meets in the Baxter Hall at 10am, when the Morning Service court, in Annan Old Parish Church, that deposed Edward Irving from his is taking place there. ministry in the church. A son of Annan, Edward Irving’s statue stands in the church grounds. A Tai Chi group meets on Thursdays and although not a church organisation members of our congregation help run a weekly Luncheon Club for senior Thomas Carlyle is another son of Annan whose house in nearby Ecclefechan is citizens. open to visitors.

LOCAL INFORMATION ABOUT ANNAN, DORNOCK AND EASTRIGGS The first nuclear power station in Scotland was opened in 1959 at Chapelcross (three miles from town) and although currently in a de-commissioning phase still The Royal Burgh of employs several hundred people. Annan is a former market town situated EMPLOYMENT on the coastline of the and at The main sources of employment in the Area are Bakhu Pharma (a drug the mouth of the River substance company), Annan. It is about 17 Cochran Boilers, Magnox miles from Dumfries, Electric (a former Power 18 miles from Carlisle Station now decommis- and 7 miles from the sioning), Pinney’s of border at Gretna. The Scotland (chilled food population of the town manufacturers), Young’s is around 10,000 and Bluecrest Seafoods and over recent years the various small industrial town has continued units. As the area to expand with both surrounding the town is housing and small rural there is also a business developments. While Annan High Street looking east dependency on farming most residents of the town still and, to some extent, on work locally there is an increasing number who travel to Dumfries or Carlisle on forestry. a daily basis. The population of Dornock/ Eastriggs is about 2,200. In addition to this, Annan High Street, which runs roughly through the centre of the town, is fairly Eastriggs has a munitions typical of most former market towns with many small shops and businesses but depot and two small engineering Dornock village looking west no national chain shops. The High Street is dominated at the west end by the works. There are some forty-five Town Hall and at the east end by the spire of Annan Old Parish Church. farms in the parish which is mainly of a rural nature.

Page 5 EDUCATION There are several facilities for horse riding including an active branch of Riding for the Disabled. Within the town of Annan there are four primary schools, Elmvale, Hecklegirth, Newington and St. Columba's and the Secondary School of Annan Academy Eastriggs has a community playing field as well as a bowling green, a skate park which has a catchment area from Gretna in the east to Carrutherstown in the and riding stables. west.

Eastriggs Community School is the only education establishment in the parish of Dornock and even with additional classroom facilities built about ten years ago there is space for less than two dozen more children. The school includes a Nursery Dept. and the building also houses the library.

Dumfries and Carlisle are also home to both College and University campuses.

LOCAL TRADITIONS

There is an annual celebration of ‘Riding of the Marches’ which takes place on the first Saturday in July when a cavalcade of riders led by the cornet and the town standard bearer ride the boundaries of the burgh followed by a parade through the town, entertainment and pipe band championships in the afternoon The Everholm Track and ending with massed bands playing on the High Street in the evening.

On the Sunday prior to the celebrations the Kirkin’ of the Cornet takes place in ENTERTAINMENT Annan Old Parish Church. The local cinema has recently been altered to make a 2 screen unit and shows There are salmon fishings on the Solway Firth which date back to Viking times. major releases including 3-D versions, some on the first day of release. Fishing with a haaf-net by standing with the net in the channel is unique to the The town has a strong musical tradition with a pipe band and a brass band both Solway coast. of which play to a high standard in competitions.

In Eastriggs an Annual Gala is held in the first full week in July. This week of activities culminates on the Saturday with a parade of decorated floats through PLACES OF INTEREST the village, followed by an afternoon of sports and family fun on the playing There are many places of historic and scenic interest in the area. These include field. The Ruthwell Cross; Ruthwell Savings Bank; Repentance Tower; Caerlaverock

Castle; Caerlaverock Wildlife reserve; Gretna Green and the northern Lake SPORTS District. There are two golf courses close to the town situated at Powfoot (18 holes In recent years the local History Society has created an exhibition entitled ‘The championship) and Hoddam (9 holes) with further courses within easy travelling Devil’s Porridge’ which tells the story of how and why Eastriggs came into being distance at Dumfries, Lockerbie, Lochmaben and Carlisle. and gives a taste of life in the town at the time. A gymnasium and sports hall at Newington caters for sessions of keep fit, COMMUNICATIONS aerobics etc. and the swimming pool and games hall at Annan Academy are also available for public use. Annan is well connected by road in that it stands just off the A75 trunk road from Gretna to Stranraer and is only a few miles from the M74 Gretna to Glasgow and Annan has a rugby club which has several teams from a mini to a first fifteen M6 Gretna to Birmingham motorways. Travelling times to Glasgow or and a football team, Annan Athletic, which plays in League two of the SPFL. by road are about two hours as is Newcastle to the east. On the “Everholm”, a piece of ground beside the River Annan, there are football There are direct train services to Glasgow, Carlisle and Newcastle and from pitches suitable for five a side or youth games, a full size rugby pitch and an Lockerbie to Edinburgh. From Carlisle there are nationwide rail connections. athletics running track and field used by the local amateur athletic club.

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Annan to Carlisle - 18 miles

Annan to Dumfries - 17 miles

Annan to Lockerbie - 10 miles

Annan to Gretna - 7 miles

Annan to Eastriggs - 4 miles

Annan to Dornock - 3 miles

Solway Firth

Annan Old Parish Church Dornock Parish Church

For more information please contact the Nominating Committee Secretary:-

Miss Susan Bicket 15 Fruid’s Park Avenue Annan Baxter Hall DG12 6AY

Tel. 01461 203551 Email [email protected]

Or

Informal enquiries may be made to the Interim Moderator:-

Rev. Dr. Frances Henderson Manse 0 3 miles

Tel. 01576 300108 Email [email protected] Please feel free to visit our web site at www.annanoldparishchurch.co.uk

Produced and published by Annan Old Parish Church of Scotland also known as “Annan Old” (SC010555) and Dornock Parish Church of Scotland (SC004542)

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