Issue 02b
Kirk of Calder Parish
Church
Mid Calder, West
Lothian
Parish Profile
March 2024
Scottish Charity No
SCO13461
"With God’s
help to encourage and give opportunity
to all to grow together in faith
and service".
CONTENTS
Introduction
History of the
Charge
Community Profile
Worship Life
Pastoral Care
Ecumenical
Context
World
Church
Christian
Education
Stewardship and Finance
Staffing
Church, Manse and
Halls
Web Links
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Page 3
Page 4
Page 6
Page 6
Page 7
Page 7
Page 8
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 13
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Introduction
The charge of Kirk of Calder became vacant on 1st September 2021, when
the Rev John Povey retired after a long ministry. Since
then, the charge has maintained weekly and other services, through a
part-time locum minister and regular pulpit supply.
The demission
of its minister has seen elders and congregation of Kirk of Calder
willingly coming forward to take up posts and perform tasks to maintain
the life of the church. Though enjoying the variety of approach to
spiritual life provided by locum and pulpit supply ministers, the
congregation is looking forward to the more intimate fellowship that
will be built with their own full-time minister. Kirk of Calder is now a
reviewable charge in the Edinburgh and West Lothian Presbytery Mission
Plan.
OUR LORD IS RECRUITING HIS YOUNG
DISCIPLES – WILL YOU COME AND LEAD THEM?
Some of the questions raised from the Sunday Club for our prospective new Minister -
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What made you want to become a minister? |
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If you were given the job what would you bring to the Church? |
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What qualifications do you have? |
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Would you like to do a children's talk on Sunday? |
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What ideas do you have for a children's talk on Sunday? |
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Why do you want to be the Minister of Kirk of Calder? |
Are you up to this Challenge?
History of the Charge
Worship has been recorded as taking place on the Kirk of Calder site
since 1150. The church building dates from 1541 when it was rebuilt. It
was extended in 1863 and refurbished in 1991. In its 500-year history,
Kirk of Calder has called just 22 ministers.
In 1556, John Knox preached many times at Kirk of Calder. The
first reformed celebration of the Lord's Supper performed by
Knox in the nearby Calder House, is recorded in a painting (NG323) by
Sir David Wilkie. Kirk of Calder’s second minister assisted Knox in the
drawing up of the Scots Confession of Faith in 1560.
Kirk of Calder is a grade-A listed building standing within an historic
graveyard and houses the family crypt of the Torphichen family. Kirk of
Calder also boasts two sets of magnificent stained-glass windows gifted
by James ‘Paraffin’ Young. It is a building with a long Presbyterian
tradition and history. The Church of Scotland commissioners, visiting
West Lothian Presbytery in 2019, stated that Kirk of Calder is 'the
jewel' in West Lothian’s crown.
Future
Kirk of Calder has always striven to be an inclusive and welcoming
church, even if those attending sometimes only do so for a day. Kirk of
Calder has decided to depart from historic and current practice, in
order to permit the ordination, induction or appointment of a minister
who is in a civil partnership or same sex marriage.
Kirk of Calder and its minister play an active part in the community
life of the parish. Our hall, meeting room and the Kirk are used by many
groups. Special events and services are held throughout the year,
along with tours of the church. It has a thriving Guild.
Kirk of Calder is actively bringing the five marks of mission into the
minds of the congregation and its worship focus. The congregation is
encouraged to invite family, friends and neighbours to join in the
fellowship of weekly and special services, and other church activities
or events.
Kirk of Calder provides chaplaincy to the local school and
housing with care complex and the church is open for community events and visitors.
Weekly fellowship cafes run every Tuesday and Sunday and the
congregation supports local food bank initiatives. Children’s summer club
is run in the final week of the summer vacation and end of term services
are held for the local primary school. West Lothian Council uses Kirk of
Calder for special services.
Average weekly attendance at worship is 60. This figure generally
increases at baptisms and special services.
Kirk
of Calder aims to make this church the local and accessible place of
worship for Mid Calder and the wilder community. The mission of Kirk of Calder is to adjust the balance of its
congregational demographic by attracting the younger generation through
reaching out into these expanding housing developments.
Kirk of Calder has a communion roll of 366 members and is biased
towards female members by a ratio of 3:1. Members are drawn from the
parish and from across Livingston and are served by 28 elders with some
elders serving more than one district. A Unitary constitution was
adopted in 2020. The key office bearers are appointed by Kirk Session.
These posts are currently biased towards male elders, by a ratio of 2:1.
There are currently 28 members on the Kirk Session with 12
male elders and 16 female elders.
There are subcommittees for Property,
Stewardship and the Sunday Club.
The buildings are well-maintained, and the manse is currently being
refurbished, prior to a new minister taking up the post.
The Presbytery Mission Plan provides Kirk of Calder with one full-time
post of Minister The plan envisages Kirk of Calder working in
a parish grouping with two other Livingston churches - Livingston Old
Parish Church and Livingston United Ecumenical Church. Between them,
these churches will have three full-time ministers plus one-and-a-half ministry development posts working across
the parish grouping, serving a population of over 70,000. The Kirk of
Calder minister is expected to spend a proportion of their time working with the
ministry development support posts to extend and develop mission in
Livingston. Parish boundaries will become notional, with each
church retaining its own character and autonomy. Kirk of Calder has
members drawn from these other parishes; hence this grouping is seen as
an appropriate way to grow mission in Livingston. Once again, Kirk
of Calder is in the vanguard of change in the Church of Scotland.
Community Profile
Kirk of Calder Parish Church is situated within the conservation village
of Mid Calder in the county of West Lothian . The parish also
includes the village of Pumpherston which is situated to the North
East
of Mid Calder.
Being between Edinburgh and Glasgow we have excellent links to
both the East and West coast. Just over a mile from Mid Calder lies a
large shopping centre with a designer outlet. In Mid Calder we are
served by a Primary School with attached Nursery, a
Housing with Care Complex,
Chemist, Bowling Green, Community Centre, Several shops/Takeaways,
Gastro Pubs and Restaurants.
The church has strong links within the community and works together with
both the Community Council and the Mid Calder Gala Committee. The Minister would be chaplain to Mid Calder Primary School
&
Pumpherston and Uphall Station Community Primary School and part of a
chaplaincy team
at West
Calder High School.
Worship Life
Worship in Kirk of Calder takes place on Sunday at 10.30am
Additional services take place throughout the year including:
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Good Friday, evening service. |
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Remembrance Day service. |
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November service is held to
commemorate loved ones who have passed. |
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A
community family service and torchlight procession in December |
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Watchnight Service
on Christmas Eve. |
Services follow a traditional pattern in a warm and welcoming setting.
Communion is held four times a year with an additional family communion
after the service on Easter Sunday.
In the past five years there have been 40 baptisms. The congregation
always enjoys baptismal services and is happy to greet new faces during
this family service.
The
local primary school uses the church for end of term services when parents, carers, and wider family members also attend.
Worship is planned and led by the minister. During the service
bible passages are read by members of the congregation or elders.
The offering is collected by the duty team. A printed order of
service with intimations is produced each week and distributed by the
welcome team. Due to the layout of the building
data projection
is not used.
For Music
we have
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A Conacher organ of 1888 |
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Piano |
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Guitarist |
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CH4 is mainly used, also Junior Praise |
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Choir or soloists |
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Concerts in the church, various musical styles |
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Singalongs in the Church hall.
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Pastoral Care
We have volunteers from our congregation who visit our frailer members and community. One of the things
introduced, which has been really successful is a
“Remembrance Flower Festival”. This has been held for many years and has proved to be
a very meaningful event for many members and people of Mid Calder and Pumpherston.
A new minister and closer ties with our partner churches could help us
have a more cohesive approach to this important work.
Should any of our members wish a visit from our minister,
their elder or pastoral
care support this can be arranged.
Services are held on a regular basis in the
Cunnigar House Housing with Care Complex
where there are 20 flats, Church magazines are handed into every
flat.
We would
like to reinstate monthly midweek services in Uphall and Pumpherston
Community Primary School.
Every November we hold a special service in the Church for those who
have lost a loved one in the past year. This is a short 30-minute
service followed by tea and biscuits.
Elders and other church members from time to time participate in church
services providing music accompaniment and through readings on a Sunday.
They are also responsible for delivering to all members the church magazine which is published
four times a year.
Over the past 5 years we have had 184 funerals,
14 weddings and 40
baptisms both congregational and parish. We have a Cradle Roll and
follow up all baptised children with a card every birthday up to the age
of four.
Ecumenical Context
The basis of reviewable charge ensures that we contribute
to the building up the Parish Grouping of Livingston Old Parish and
Livingston United Parish churches. This is regarded by all members of Kirk of Calder as an exciting
opportunity.
The church has, through its work with the Calder
Witch Hunt Project, hosted tours for children from different or no faith
backgrounds.
World Church
For many years Kirk of Calder has been practically
and prayerfully supportive of Christian Aid. Monies raised have included
donations made to a Kenyan school for orphans and disadvantaged
children. Our Guild continues to raise funds for many UK- based and
overseas Charities, as we have done for many years
We are a committed fair trade church recognising a
pragmatic way to help those across the world.
Kirk of Calder undertook a three-year project to
raise £85,000 to assist the Vine Trust build "The Village of Hope" in
Tanzania which ended in 2017. The church invited other
churches and organisations to participate.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, on 24 Feb 22, the Kirk of Calder
has welcomed Ukrainian families and currently continues to advertise
church events on social media sites frequented by Ukrainians.
There has been some attendance at the church by Ukrainian families
and a Ukrainian child has participated in our Summer Club as well as our
last two Nativities. Singers, Vika Yasynska and Olga
Prokopenko, have entertained at church events, as has concert cellist, Kateryna Tunina. Vika has also been a guest speaker at our Guild
meetings. For those Ukrainian families or individuals attending our
services we provide copies of the bible in Ukrainian.
Christian Education
In the last two years there has been major success in the
Christian Education of our children through the Sunday Club. The Sunday Club
comprises 8 children aged 4 to 11 and is augmented periodically by two teenagers
who provide supervision and form part of the 8-strong team that manages the
club. Currently, the Sunday Club is the sole youth group for the Kirk of Calder
and the aim has been to lay solid foundations for it before progressing other
youth groups. It is hoped that as we continue to grow the Sunday Club we will
see the emergence of a separate youth group for older children, especially
as those in the Sunday Club become teenagers.
We are fortunate that not only is the Sunday Club
managed by a group of Elders, amongst them we have 3 ex-teachers one of
whom specialised in Religious Education. Therefore, the club is
meticulous, imaginative and professional in the Christian education that
it provides to the children. Club activities are tied tightly to weekly
sermons and the messages that they convey as well as to Christian
events, beliefs and values. Fun and respect are at the forefront of the
club’s undertakings so that children are made to feel welcome, safe and
valued from the start. The club is set in the nearby Glenalmond Hall but
on Sunday the children firstly gather in the church for the children’s
address before being led to the hall. In addition to the activities
there, the children take part in day trips, summer clubs and the
church fairs. They also perform from time to time, and our recent
Nativity received widespread praise for the quality of the narrations
and songs from the children. We also have children who enjoy Highland
Dancing and have performed in care complexes and Christmas Fairs on
behalf of the church and as part of its community engagement.
We
keenly await the arrival of a new Minister to deepen our
Christian insight and help provide some formal Christian Education
for adults. We do have a busy social programme and some elements of this,
provide for Christian reflection, particularly in our Guild meetings and
the moral and philosophical topics they embrace.
In relation to youth work other than our Sunday Club, we regularly
invite local schools to the Kirk of Calder for pupils to learn about the
church’s rich history. The church’s involvement in the Calder Witch
Trials is a big draw for pupils. Also of interest to them is our
week-long Summer Club. Our inaugural club in 2023 saw a full house of
20 attendees, the majority from local primaries. Similarly, we had over
20 local children take part in our most recent Nativity.
Stewardship and Finance
Our Treasurer updates Kirk Session both digitally and in person, each month on
our church finances. Updates are also made to our congregation through our
Church magazine, as required in Sunday intimations and at our Annual General
Meeting.
2023 - Total Income £93,881, Total Expenditure £82,371 - Surplus
£11,510
We have been thankful to be
able to have access to the National Stewardship Campaign and in the last
year have focussed on both Enabling Generosity and Additional Incomes
Streams. Our Stewardship Leader has led this with the support of our
Kirk Session. At our Sunday service, we have a specific time for our
offerings and we give thanks for them in prayer.
FWO envelopes, standing
order and gift aid forms are available and highlighted at church,
through the magazine and on the website. Annual letters are sent to
members of the congregation thanking them for their offerings. The
different methods of making offerings are covered and, for those who are able,
asked
to consider an annual increase.
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Our 2023 offerings are up 8%. |
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66% of our income is generated through FWO, standing order and gift
Aid |
Hall lettings have been
promoted and increased which has been beneficial both from a financial
standpoint and for our mission work within our local community. In
May 2022, a three year ReGen 2025 Campaign was launched to raise funds
for fabric projects in the church to December 2023 this has raised
£31,000. We have explored, and set up, different methods of giving,
including digital and 'Just Giving' options.
The Giving to Grow figure for 2024 is £49,266 and the Vacancy
Allowance is £11,196.
Staffing
The Edinburgh and West Lothian Presbytery Mission
Plan provides one-and-a-half ministry- development posts, working across
the parish grouping. The Kirk of Calder post is expected to spend part
of its time working with the ministry-development support posts, to
extend and develop mission in Livingston.
· The church officer opens and maintains the church,
changes the pulpit falls and communion table-cloths, as services require,
and prepares the communion elements. The church officer carries in the
bible at the start of the service and out at the end. He or she also
cleans the church and the halls, supported by members of the
congregation. The officer also coordinates Funeral and Wedding church
bookings.
There are currently three posts that are paid by
Kirk of Calder - Organist, Church Officer and Church Cleaner. The Kirk
Session fills all the other posts on a voluntary basis.
Church, Manse and Halls
The Kirk
The Malt Barn
The Glenalmond Hall
The Kirk
A
Church has been on the site since the 12th century. The present church
dates from 1541, with an extension added in the 1860. It is category A listed.
Address Main Street, Mid Calder,
West Lothian, Scotland, EH53 0AN,
The Malt Barn
The Malt Barn is within the Kirk
graveyard and has a small meeting room.
It is Category B listed. It is used for small meetings and has a wheelchair
accessible toilet and baby changing facilities.
The Glenalmond Hall
150 metres North of the church on Main St. It is used for various Church
organisations
and is available for hire. It is category B listed. It has its own car park.
The property provides a hall plus toilets, kitchen
and, on the first floor, a small office and store. It has a Wheelchair Accessible
Toilet and baby changing facilities.
Activities held there include
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Teas and Coffee after
every Church Service; |
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A Drop in Cafe every
Tuesday morning; |
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A venue for the Kirk
Session to meet; |
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Where the Sunday Club
meets on a Sunday |
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A venue for various
social Events |
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A hall available to rent.
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The Manse
The manse is a four bedroom
detached villa situated 0.7 miles from the
Kirk. It has on the ground floor a lounge that runs from the front to the back of the house,
a kitchen, a
dining room, an office and a cloakroom & toilet, Three of the four bedrooms
upstairs have built in wardrobes, and one has an ensuite shower room, there is a
family bathroom upstairs with a bath with a shower. It has double glazing, a garage and a
fairly large garden
to the side and rear.
The Property team
is nearing
the end of a £30,000 refurbishment of the manse in the anticipation
of the appointment of a new Minister.
This includes providing a refurbished family bathroom, refurbished master
ensuite shower room, refitted cloakroom, a new fitted kitchen: new doors; new boiler and
radiators: new floor coverings
and redecoration.
Web Links
Our Website
www.kirkofcalder.com
The Kirk's Facebook Page.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064810653495&checkpoint_src=any
Our Profile on the Church of Scotland Website.
https://cos.churchofscotland.org.uk/church-finder/profile?property_id=17427
Census information on Mid
Calder on the Church of Scotland
Website.
https://cos.churchofscotland.org.uk/church-finder/data/statistics/parish-profiles/020148.pdf
If you click the picture
you can see a Video
Drone Fly Past of the Church lasting 38 seconds. (Please note
it takes a little while to load or it will buffer so its best to let
it load fully first before fully playing!).
Our
"Friends of Kirk of Calder" tours co-ordinator John Jamieson has
prepared a 14 minute long Virtual Tour of the Kirk. Click the image
or view
here.
Our Local Council
https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/
Any questions or for more information contact:
Kenneth
Wilson (Session Clerk)
coinneach239232@gmail.com
07515 944359.
To apply
contact:-
Formal
applications, with CV, to the Clerk to the Nominating Committee, Mrs. Jan
Ingram - janingram@icloud.com
Kirk of Calder, Main St, Mid Calder, West Lothian, Scotland, EH53 0AN.
.
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