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Kilwinning Abbey Church Parish Profile

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Kilwinning Abbey Church Parish Profile Kilwinning Abbey Church Parish Profile March 2019 Charity Reg No SC001856 / Cong Ref No 120664 • INTRODUCTION Thank you for accessing our Profile and for showing an interest in our vacancy which has arisen due to the retirement in March 2019 of our Minister, Rev Jeanette Whitecross, who has served the Parish with diligence, care and compassion for the past eight years. The Presbytery of Ardrossan has approved an unrestricted tenure for our next Minister and the Kirk Session and congregation will now approach the future with enthusiasm and purpose as we seek the leadership of a new charge to build on, and further develop our faith and vision. In order to achieve our goals, we are looking for someone who ..... - has excellent communication skills; - is open minded and willing to tackle challenges; - is a team player with the ability to encourage participation in the life of the church by members of all age groups; - most importantly, has a good sense of humour! Our Kirk Session voted against departure from the Church’s practice in relation to human sexuality in respect of the current vacancy for a minister. We see ourselves as a traditional church with a perfect balance of history and modern life. Our main aim is to promote the message of Christianity within our parish and beyond, and to be recognised as a place where all are welcome in the name of fellowship and worship. Mission Statement We commit ourselves to upholding Christian values at all times and presenting our Church as a living example of the family of God by - • always seeking to build our congregation, both in numbers and in strength, through regular and joyful worship, biblical teaching and study, faithful prayer, loyal pastoral care, a strong desire for social justice and a full awareness of our social responsibility; • engendering and nurturing a strong fellowship through promotion of and participation in regular and varied events - both social and religious - that are attractive to all ages and backgrounds, always being willing to extend a hand of peace, welcome or friendship when any occasion demands; • freely offering our resources - be they time, talents or money - to uphold our purpose, increase our commitment and further our cause in our parish, our community and our world. We hope the information contained in this Profile gives a flavour of who we are and what we seek to do in the parish and beyond. Informal enquiries can be made to the Interim Moderator and applications with CV and the names of two referees may be made to the Clerk to the Nominating Committee, both of whose contact details can be found at the end of this profile. • HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATION Following the Scottish Reformation, the Kilwinning Abbey was largely destroyed and the first Parish Church of Kilwinning was constructed within the ruins of the old abbey in 1590 using the dressed stones. The Abbey itself (now mostly in ruins and maintained by Historic Scotland) dates back to 1188 AD. The building in use today was completed in 1774 on the site of its 16th century predecessor and funded by the Earl of Eglinton. The year 2024 will therefore be the 250th anniversary of the building in which we worship. In 1929 the parish of Kilwinning was divided between the congregations of Erskine, Mansfield and the existing Parish Church which then became known as Kilwinning Abbey Church. Today we are one of two churches in communion with the Church of Scotland in the town. The Church is located in the Presbytery of Ardrossan and is administered in accordance with the terms of the Unitary Constitution. The Kirk Session serves 48 districts within the town and surrounding countryside. It meets ten times a year, is responsible for spiritual affairs within the church and matters relating to finance and property, and is chaired by the Minister. It is currently comprised of 53 elders (19 males and 34 females), 4 of whom were inducted/admitted in 2018. The elders’ ages range from the 30s to the 70s, with the majority being in the over 60s category. Elders also attend an annual conference - usually in September - to allow time for study and reflection. This has been led by the Minister, often with a guest speaker, and many of the initiatives undertaken in the past few years have arisen from ideas put forward at these sessions. To encourage active participation of Elders in the various aspects of Session business, a series of committees exist to which all members of session are nominated, namely: Communications & Outreach Education & Worship Fabric Finance Ministry & Mission/Church & Society Pastoral Care Senior Members Social Team World Mission & Christian Aid Meetings of these committees are held as appropriate and reports on their activities are included in the Agenda of Kirk Session meetings. • COMMUNITY PROFILE OF THE CONGREGATION The town of Kilwinning, with a current population of around 21700, is situated in a pleasant area of North Ayrshire, about three miles from the sea. It is approximately 30 miles from Glasgow, 15 miles from Ayr and 11 miles from Kilmarnock. Rail communication in the directions of Glasgow and Ayr - with onward connections to Stranraer, Ardrossan and Largs - is very good, with fast trains running every twenty minutes for most of the day. There is also an excellent bus service to and from Kilmarnock. The town is served well by two local GP surgeries, three pharmacies and three dental practices. For those requiring it, the Ayrshire & Arran Health Board maintains three local hospitals, namely: - Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine provides young disabled / rehabilitation services, and a number of assessment beds for elderly mental health services. Recent years have seen significant developments on the site with a new general outpatient department and rehabilitation centre. All have excellent facilities with the Douglas Grant Rehabilitation Centre being recognised as one of the best in the country. - University Hospital Crosshouse is situated two miles from Kilmarnock town centre. It is a large district general hospital providing a wide range of services, including paediatric inpatient services. It is also home to the national Cochlear Implant Service and houses the Emergency Department for East and North Ayrshire. The Ayrshire Maternity Unit is also located on this site. - University Hospital Ayr lies on the southern outskirts of Ayr. It is a district general hospital providing medical and surgical services on an inpatient, day case and outpatient basis. It houses the Emergency Department for South Ayrshire and provides a number of Ayrshire-wide services including vascular surgery, ophthalmology and audiology. In addition, the town boasts a newly refurbished library, a well established community sports club and three bowling clubs. The industrial base of Kilwinning has changed over the years, with small to medium sized firms providing most of the employment locally. Many people travel to Glasgow or beyond. There are seven primary schools in the town, two of which are denominational. There is one comprehensive school, Kilwinning Academy, whilst those seeking to attend a Roman Catholic secondary school travel to St Matthew’s Academy in the nearby town of Saltcoats. Our church oversees the chaplaincy of Kilwinning Academy, Blacklands Primary, Abbey Primary and Corsehill Primary, with whom we enjoy very positive links. There is a Kilwinning Campus of the Ayrshire College in the town, which is a popular source of Further Education courses, and again church and college have forged a strong link. • WORSHIP LIFE Worship takes place from 10.30 am until 11.30 am, with the Jigsaw Club and Grid (Sunday School) joining us for the first part of the service, when a children’s address is given. A printed Order of Service is provided. A car pool brings those requiring transport to and from regular worship on Sundays. A particular feature of worship life is the role of the organist and our growing choir. The sound system has recently been upgraded and an amplifier and sound loop system is in place. Resources include Braille hymn books and there is ample space for the disabled and for working dog attendance. We are particularly proud of our organ. It was specially built and installed in 1897 by Forster & Andrews of Hull - one of the most successful organ builders in England - at a cost of £750 (the equivalent of £100,000 today). The British Institute of Organ Studies has given the instrument Grade 1 status and regards it as “important to national heritage and deserving of careful preservation for the benefit of future generations”. Rated one of the finest pipe organs in the UK, it has helped people celebrate the love of God, the joy of weddings and baptisms and provided a source of comfort in times of sadness. Indeed, so important is this beloved instrument to the congregation that we decided to throw it a special 120th birthday party. More than 200 people attended the event which featured a choir, string quartet, a ‘Name that Tune’ feature and a stunning ‘organ shaped’ cake. A Worship Team, involving presbytery trained elders, takes services at appropriate times during the year and a reading rota for Sunday services brings wider participation in worship by members of the congregation. Currently, there are 500 hundred members on the Church Roll, with an additional 69 members on the Supplementary Roll. Average weekly attendance at worship is between 120 and 140, and this has been fairly consistent over the last five years. Baptisms and Blessings are offered to babies, children and adults. Weddings and Funerals are offered to both Church members and to the wider community. At regular worship, the sacrament of Communion is celebrated four times annually - on the second Sunday of March, June, September and December.
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