a profile of dreghorn & springside parish church · dreghorn & springside parish church is...

A Profile of

Dreghorn & Springside

Parish Church

Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church Profile 2

From top clockwise - Dreghorn Springside Parish Church, view of inside of our church, the young church leading worship, the Tuesday Coffee Club, the young church leading worship


Introduction Thank you for showing an interest in our congregation which serves an Ayrshire parish that includes the villages of Dreghorn and Springside. We are a friendly group of people, with a very strong Sunday School (young church) of 25-30 children. We want to retain and grow the participation of our young people, whilst caring for the needs of our older members. Hopefully the following will give you a taste of our congregational life. If you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to contact the Nominating Committee Clerk.

‘You called me and here I am’ 1 Samuel 3

So, is it you?

Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church is looking for a new minister to lead us forward into the future

Let’s see if we can help you decide if it’s you ……


Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church

Google Maps

The inside of Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church

Contacts

Website www.dreghornspringsidechurch.co.uk

Scottish Charity No SC 008684

Interim Moderator Rev Andrew Black 4 Kaimes Court Girdle Toll Irvine KA11 Tel: 01294 216939

Nominating Committee Clerk Sheena Henderson 20 Dalmailing Avenue Dreghorn Irvine KA11 4HX Tel: 01294 213142

Nominating Committee Convenor John Halbert 5 Milton Road Dreghorn Irvine KA11 4AU Tel: 01294 285605

http://www.dreghornspringsidechurch.co.uk/


Our aims and what we are seeking Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church is an active, vibrant congregation. We are seeking a new Minister following the retiral of our previous Minister in 2015 after a long and happy ministry of 32 years. The congregation has been well served over many years by outstanding ministers (five ministers over the last 100 years). We are seeking to ordain a minister who will help us: • build on our thriving church;

• help people grow in their faith and deepen their experience of Jesus

• minister to the needs of those who have served our church well over many years

• encourage and build our young church

• help us to extend our beliefs out into the communities of Dreghorn & Springside

• develop our church into a place where everyone feels welcome, feels a sense of belonging and trusts in Jesus Christ

• develop a church that becomes the focal point of the two villages we serve

• be open and relevant for those who are not Christians.

Our aim is to have a church where everyone feels accepted, experiences a friendly atmosphere and a sense of belonging. We believe that God’s purpose for us is to spread the Good News joyfully through worship and through the witness of Christian lives, reflecting something of the love of God. Our Sunday School and youth organisations are strong and we want to develop a programme which encourages young people to remain within the care of our church. This is part of our mission strategy for the future and we are looking for a minister who will sustain the interest of our young church into adulthood.

Our vision for the future Our established congregation has served Dreghorn & Springside Parish well with their time, talents and money, ensuring the stability of our church. They must continue to be a vital part of our church. Our vision is to continue the spread of the Gospel and grow our church fellowship in Dreghorn & Springside. We are fortunate to have around 25-30 young people regularly attending each Sunday, one of the largest gatherings of youngsters across the Presbytery. We want to build on that! We are confident that if we maintain this bedrock of young people, we have a secure and vibrant future. Our vision is to build a pro-active and caring community-centred church. We are confident that the Christian faith can meet many of the needs of those within our communities, and we want to be mindful of the needs of the whole parish and not just our own church community.


Community Profile

The villages of Dreghorn and Springside, which our church serves, became part of Irvine New Town in the 1970s but have retained their village identities.

Dreghorn & Springside sit within the local authority area of North Ayrshire.

We see ourselves as semi-rural and we are fortunate in that we have, on our doorstep, beautiful countryside whilst being only a few minutes’ drive from the towns of both Kilmarnock and Irvine which has a lovely harbour-side and beach. In addition, we are only a 25-minute drive to Glasgow where we can enjoy the culture and the shopping in one of Scotland’s most popular cities.

The area is well served by public transport with a regular bus service from Ardrossan to Kilmarnock (via Dreghorn approx every 10 minutes and stopping at Crosshouse Hospital). There are regular trains from Irvine to Ayr, Glasgow, and a twice daily direct train to Edinburgh - handy if you need to go to Church of Scotland HQ at 121 George Street! There is also a direct express bus link to Glasgow.

Dreghorn has a busy local authority-run Community Centre, Townend Centre, located in the village, as well as a local library. Springside also has ‘The Institute’, a community centre where local activities take place and the Library visits every fortnight.

Each of the villages has amenity housing, Woodgrove in Dreghorn and Garrier Court in Springside where a number of our older members live. Shalom Nursing Home is situated in the Main Street in Dreghorn and members of our Church who are resident there are visited by the Minister. There might be scope for development in this area. The local Brethren Group conducts services within the Nursing Home on a fortnightly basis. The local Brethren Group also invite members of Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church to a monthly Friday Evening Family Fellowship.

We produce a quarterly magazine, ‘CrossTalk’. We distribute the Autumn edition to every home in the parish.

From top clockwise – Pathway along old railway line, church, The Institute, Springside, The local

Co-op Store, Nearby Irvine Beach, Dreghorn Main Street, The Braes Bar and Restaurant

https://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/home.aspx


Community Profile (continued)

From left clockwise – the church, Springside, the pathway from Dreghorn to Springside along the

old railway line, Springside

Local shops are very supportive in displaying our publicity material and in donating prizes and items to our organisations. The Co-op Store provides support through its Community Programme. Although there is a large contingent of people ‘born and bred’ and still living within the villages of Dreghorn & Springside, a series of house-building over the last few decades has seen the villages grow and bring in people from other areas. Our congregation comprises a range of people both from the immediate area, Irvine, and people who have moved into the area from elsewhere. Dreghorn has a local doctor’s surgery and both villages have a pharmacy, as well as grocery stores, public houses, take-away food outlets, bowling clubs and hair and beauty therapy studios as well as a florist, a baker and a small hotel.


Educational Provision Both Dreghorn and Springside have a primary school, and there is a secondary school in Dreghorn. All schools are non-denominational and both primary schools include early years provision. In 2015 a newly-built Primary School replaced the original school in Dreghorn. We have a strong connection with Dreghorn Primary School. Which has a role of approximately 210 pupils. Currently, 88% of pupils are reported to be performing well or very well in reading at age 11. Dreghorn Primary includes an Educational Resource Unit. Our Locum Minister participates in school assemblies and pupils exploring the history of Dreghorn engage with our congregation, both through visits to our church and through our members visiting the school. Dreghorn Primary uses our church for the end of term service three times a year. Springside Primary School’s role is approximately 92 pupils. Currently 88% are reported to be performing well or very well in reading at age 11. The Locum Minister also has links with Springside Primary School. Greenwood Academy the local secondary school located in Dreghorn was rebuilt in 2007. It has a roll of approximately 1330 pupils. In 2016, 96.7% of school leavers were reported to have gone on to a positive destination. Other Primary Schools just outside the parish include Lawthorn Primary, Annick Primary and Elderbank Primary, all of which are feeder schools for Greenwood Academy or Irvine Royal Academy. Ayrshire College has campuses at Kilwinning, some 5 miles from Dreghorn and at Kilmarnock. There is also a campus within easy reach in Ayr. The University of South West Scotland also has a campus at Ayr.

From top – Dreghorn Primary, Springside Primary, Greenwood Academy

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/na/dreghornprimaryschool/

https://www.springsideschool.com/

http://www.greenwoodacademy.co.uk/

http://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/

https://www.uws.ac.uk/home/


Community Profile (continued) There is a large University Hospital at Ayr Woodland View Community Hospital is located in Irvine. There is a facility for elderly people within this hospital.

Crosshouse University Hospital is approximately 4 miles from Dreghorn; Holmsford Bridge Crematorium is within one mile of our church.

http://www.nhsaaa.net/hospitals/university-hospital-ayr/

http://www.nhsaaa.net/hospitals/university-hospital-ayr/

http://www.nhsaaa.net/hospitals/woodland-view/

http://www.nhsaaa.net/hospitals/woodland-view/

http://www.nhsaaa.net/hospitals/university-hospital-crosshouse/

https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/crematoria-and-cemeteries/crematoria/find-a-crematorium/holmsford-bridge-crematorium/


Our Worship Life Our membership roll at the end of 2017 was 368. Although we see a slight decline annually, attendance remains stable with around 120 regular attendees when we meet for worship at 11.00 am each Sunday. We celebrate Holy Communion three times a year on the first Sunday of the months of February, May and November when our attendance rises to around 145 members/visitors. In 2017, we were joined by our young church for the first time and they were invited to take communion if they wished. The style of worship is mainly traditional. We read The Good News Bible and use Mission Praise and Junior Praise for musical worship, accompanied by a beautiful traditional pipe organ. Each Sunday, the congregation includes our young church. The youngsters receive an input from the Minister, take part in prayers and praise, before leaving for their own Christian education and activities in the hall from where they are collected after the service. Following the service, the congregation can enjoy further fellowship over a cup of tea or coffee in the hall, Our regular services are mainly led by our Minister and we also have one Worship Leader. Regular annual services include:

• Palm Sunday service* • Sunday School Prize Giving* • Harvest Thanksgiving* • Remembrance Service, attended by the uniformed organisations, including a

separate service conducted by the Minister at the Dreghorn War Memorial, • Nativity Service led by the young church* • our ‘whole community’ Christmas Eve Candle-lit Service* • Quarterly ‘Songs of Praise’ Evenings, organised and led by a member of our

congregation, exploring psalms and hymns from a variety of eras and traditions

*family services

In 2017, we re-instated our Midnight Christmas Eve Service which was well-attended. Our Kirk Session and general congregation members are also happy to participate in services. Over 30 people have contributed to services organised and led mainly by members of the congregation. These services have included the following themes:

• Peace • Pentecost • Joy • Time and Talents • Discipleship • 450th Anniversary of the King James Bible • The Lord’s Prayer • 500th Anniversary of Luther and the Protestant Reformation

The Young Church leading the Reformation Celebration


Our Young Church and members of the Rainbows leading the Reformation Celebration

We take part in joint Holy Week services with the other Churches of Scotland within Irvine. Each year one church hosts five evening services Monday-Friday with Ministers each taking a part throughout the week, and Elders from all churches undertaking the necessary duties.

Twenty-six funerals were conducted in 2017 for either members or people within the parish. Some were conducted within our church and some at the local Crematorium.

Rev Gary Horsburgh and baby Finn who is now 4 years old and a member of the Sparklers

4

422

4

Baptisms

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017


Christian Education / Church Events Young Church (Sunday School) Sparklers The Sparklers caters for our youngest children from babies up to 5-year olds. This includes a Crèche

All Stars The All Stars is designed to meet the needs of our children aged 5-8 years

Trailblazers This section takes care of our older children, aged between 8-12 years. These groups are led by a husband/wife team, assisted by 6 church member volunteers and 5 youth helpers.

The young church regularly takes part in, or leads, our worship. Most recently, they led the Harvest Thanksgiving Service which took a Caribbean theme (as can be seen from the photographs with assistants dressed as a parrot and a pineapple). The youngsters entertained us with calypso melodies and a thought-provoking short drama. The young church also led a service celebrating 500 years of the Reformation.

Our Young Church leading the Harvest Thanksgiving Service


Pastoral Care Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church operates on a model constitution basis. Kirk Session - The Kirk Session comprises 43 active elders servicing our parish. Congregational Board - The Congregational Board comprises 19 Elders and 19 Members of the Congregation. Two Committees sit under the Board - The Finance Committee and the Property Committee, other committees are established on an ad hoc basis. Elders visit their parish districts at least three times per year prior to our Communion Services. Dreghorn and Springside are tight-knit communities with many people having lived their whole lives in the villages, which brings a sense of belonging and a community spirit with many people known to each other. Our Locum Minister regularly visits many members of the congregation both at home and those who are in hospital. Members who are unable to attend Communion Services are offered home communion. Pastoral care could be a growing area for development within our church as our members become older. We wish to ensure that those who are no longer able to physically take part in weekly worship services are included in the life of our church and are rewarded for their many years of dedication and Christian witness. Housebound members receive a weekly CD recording of the sermon, organised by one of our dedicated Elders.

Prayer and Bible Fellowship Our small group meets once per month and we use Scripture Union Daily Reading notes to focus our bible discussion. We also include prayers of intercession. Members are invited to leave their request for prayers in a box available within our Session House. Our group is small and it is hoped that this would be one area for development with the help of the new minister. Sunday Coffee Morning This is where members of our congregation can meet for a chat and a coffee immediately following the morning service


The Guild

Our Church has a very active Guild which meets every second Thursday evening in our church Hall. We enjoy a varied syllabus with excellent speakers and always warm fellowship and lovely supper. We have two Coffee Mornings each year as part of our outreach to the wider community which enables us to contribute financially to the Church, Guild projects and a number of deserving charities. The Guild is open to all women and men, church members or non-members.

Girl Guiding Our church has a long association with the Girl Guiding movement and full Packs of each of the groups meet weekly in our halls with waiting lists in place. There are plans to establish additional Rainbow and Brownie packs. A Brownie pack also meets in Townend Community Centre to meet the needs of the villages.

• Rainbows – ages 5-7 years • Brownies – ages 7-10 years • Guides – ages 10-14 years

From top clockwise – The Guild, Queen’s Badge Recipients, The Boys Brigade at camp, The Guides

Boys Brigade A Boys Brigade Unit has met in our church for many years. The mission of the unit is to:

• ensure the boys in our care enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of other boys;

• learn new and interesting activities and classes;

• Encourage them to attain the highest awards, The Presidents and Queens Badges.

Over the past years, several boys have attained The Queen's Badge.

We seek to include the members of the uniformed groups within our church life as much as possible, seeing this as a means of engaging those who perhaps do not identify with the church. A recent service celebrating 500 years since The Reformation included all the above groups and was led by the young church and uniformed groups.


Community Coffee Morning Our Tuesday morning tea, coffee and scones meeting takes place from 10.00-12 noon in

our church Hall and is open to everyone. There is scope here to extend this to

housebound members of our church through the organisation of dedicated transport from

homes to the hall.

Mother & Toddler Group The mother and toddler group has been in operation

for 30 years and is open to everyone. The group meets in our church hall on Thursday mornings. It is

aimed at children aged from birth to 3 years and their parents (or grannies/grandpas/carers). Older siblings

are also welcome to attend.

Loyal Orange Lodge 218 The local orange lodge has a strong and healthy

relationship with our church and holds its annual Divine Service, which is open to the whole

community, in our church. The Lodge holds all its meetings in our church hall and supports our

church financially on an annual basis.


Stewardship and Finance Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church is a self-sufficient church with members meeting the financial requirements set by the Presbytery and Church of Scotland HQ. The average income from members over the last three years is £85,046, comprised of £72,378 gifted by members and £12,668 income tax via Gift Aid donations. We currently commit £950 per annum to presbytery and £53,000 per annum to Church of Scotland wider work. (We are currently in receipt of a small reduction to this to cover locum payments.) Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church has never been an aid-receiving church. Church fundraising activities are well supported by both church members and non-church community members alike. Our regular activities include the annual Christmas Fayre, coffee mornings and quiz nights. In addition to regular giving to the church, our congregation contributes to several charities through collections at special services, eg the Harvest Thanksgiving Service and the Christmas Eve service, and through individual collection jars Charities who benefit from these donations include: • The Leprosy Mission • Jars of Grace for Unicef • Christian Aid • CHAS • Blythswood Care Shoebox Appeal each year • Toilet Twinning – all our church and hall toilets were ‘twinned’ in November

2017

This giving is in addition to the figures below which are used towards the wider work of the Church of Scotland

The congregation also gives generously to the North Ayrshire Foodbank. During November, December 2017 and January 2018 our church members donated 435kg of much needed food to the foodbank. This is the equivalent of giving a three-day emergency supply of food to either 20 families or 36 single people over that time.


Church, Manse and Halls

The Manse

On retiral of our last Minister, it was decided to sell the Manse and buy new, more modern accommodation for our new Minister.

We have purchased a 4-bedroomed detached house, on the edge of the parish, a few minutes’ drive from the church. The new Manse is a four-

bedroomed detached house located within a cul-de-sac in a popular estate in the Lawthorn/Perceton area. The ground floor accommodation comprises a lounge with bay window, dining room and/or sitting room, modern fitted dining kitchen which opens to a

sun room overlooking the enclosed rear garden. There is also a utility room and cloakroom. On the upper floor there are four double bedrooms, with master having modern en-suite shower room and modern fitted bathroom. The property has gas central heating, double glazing, drive-way and front garden.

Practical Ministry Matters

Staffing We have a minimal number of staff:

• One Organist • One cleaner for the church and halls • One Hall Convenor • One Church Officer

Church Halls Our halls are located across the road from our church and comprise one large hall with stage, one small committee room, toilets, a large kitchen and a small 1st floor hall. The halls are well used for both church activities and by members of the community.

Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church Hall


History

Our current church building was consecrated in 1780 and we know it was built on the site

of earlier churches.

Archaeological evidence has established a settlement around Dreghorn village for some

5,500 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the UK

It is recorded that Dreghorn was one of 14 existing parishes incorporated under the

control of the newly established Kilwinning Abbey around 1170.

In the 1990’s our church became Dreghorn and Springside Parish

Church when the two Churches of Scotland within Dreghorn united.

During the late 1600’s the then Minister John Spalding took to the fields to preach in true covenanting

fashion. Dreghorn Church is acknowledged as having been one

of our churches used as the basis for John Galt’s novel ‘Annals of the

Parish.’

Dreghorn and Pearston parishes were amalgamated in 1668 to

create Dreghorn and Pearston Old Parish Church.

Our church is one of only a few in Scotland of an octagonal design.

Legend has it that in a church of this shape the devil has no corner to

hide in!

Our location at the crossroads in the centre of the village as always been

significant At the heart of the community!


So, is it YOU? We pray that you might be called by God’s guidance to Dreghorn & Springside Parish Church, if this is God’s will.

‘You called me and here I am’ 1 Samuel 3

a profile of dreghorn & springside parish church · dreghorn & springside parish church is...

Documents