DENNY WESTPARK CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
PARISH PROFILE
Our Mission is...
To spread God's love and live as the Bible teaches,
pray and worship together
and be a caring, sharing Church of Jesus Christ in the community
“Westpark Church affirms the historic and current doctrine and practice of the Church of Scotland and has not departed from this.”
We are a single charge with full tenure set within the centre of Denny. We envisage a preaching and pastoral ministry which will allow us to strengthen our links with the community. We look forward to working in partnership and shared leadership with our new Minister to embrace the many opportunities and challenges which the future will bring.
Could you be the one to embrace the gifts and talents we have, encouraging and empowering us with your spiritual and practical leadership, so that we can journey forward together?
WORSHIP
Worship takes place each Sunday morning at 10.30 a.m. Children and young people who attend Kidzone and Teen Squad join us of for the first part of the Service, before leaving to take part in their own activities. There is a Creche available for children up to 3 years of age.
Members of the Congregation are actively involved in Sunday worship, welcoming worshippers as they arrive, reading Scripture and leading Prayers. They are joined by members of Kidzone in uplifting the offering.
Attendance at our Sunday services is usually 100 to 120 people.
Music is a key part of our worship. We are fortunate to have an Allen organ, an organist who is experienced in both traditional and contemporary hymns and an enthusiastic choir
who lead us in worship each Sunday morning.
We have a sound system which incorporates a function to record services, an induction loop for those with hearing difficulties, and WiFi is available within our sanctuary and halls.
Tea, coffee and soft drinks are served after Sunday worship and this allows time for fellowship and catch up.
Every Wednesday morning the Church is open for tea and coffee from 10 a.m. There is a short Service at 11.15 a.m. where everyone is welcome to attend. During the vacancy this has been led by some of our Elders assisted by our Locum and Interim Moderator.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sundays of March, June, September and December and also at the Wednesday Service the following week.
The Churches in the town work together in Holy Week with Services taking place each evening, a Walk of Witness on Good Friday plus an early morning Easter Service and Easter breakfast.
OUR BUILDINGS
The Church was built in 1900 and a new suite of halls with kitchen and toilet facilities was added in the late 1970's. Disabled access and toilet facilities were added later.
THE MANSE
Westpark Manse is situated at 13 Baxter Crescent, Denny, a quiet cul de sac, approximately 15 minutes walk from the Church. It is of modern construction and has double glazing and gas central heating. Accommodation comprises three public rooms and four bedrooms. There is also a detached single garage. It is currently tenanted but will be fully refurbished on the appointment of our new minister.
OUR CHURCH
We have a Church with a strong ethos of Mission and Outreach.
The Kirk Session and Congregational Board meet in alternate months.
We have an active and committed Guild which meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.
We have a Kidzone, Teen Squad and Creche each Sunday.
At present we have one home Bible Study Group.
There is a strong Boys Brigade Company and local Guides, Brownies and Rainbows also use our Halls.
We have an active Pastoral Care Group and a Social Committee who organise a number of events each year for both fundraising and fellowship.
The Church has a mini-bus which is used to bring people to worship and for social occasions.
There is an Open Door Cafe each week serving light lunches and snacks.
Each Monday there is a Club which provides social activities and exercise for the over 50's.
A Badminton Club meets each Tuesday.
Toc H use our Halls for local activities with some members attending worship on a regular basis.
Our halls are extensively used by our own organisations and activities. They are available for hire for community purposes.
We are very active in fundraising for Christian Aid, collecting locally and taking part in the annual Forth Road Bridge walk.
We also act as a regional collection and checking point for the annual Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal.
OUR TOWN
Denny is conveniently situated to provide motorway access to both Glasgow and Edinburgh and good road links to all parts of the country.
Our Town Centre is undergoing regeneration and building works in connection with this are progressing well.
There is a large new housing development taking place on the outskirts of the town with around 300 units in the first phase and this has led to the development of a relief road to relieve traffic congestion in the town centre.
We have three Primary Schools all with Nurseries and a modern High School.
There are two Medical Practices in the town and a new state of the art Hospital is only a few miles away in Larbert.
There is a wide variety of shopping facilities including Supermarkets and smaller stores.
FINANCE
During 2014 our Ministry and Mission contributions were set at £60,624, with our total income for the year from all sources being £112,567. This year's Ministry and Mission contribution is set at £60,902.
The congregation's finances are in a satisfactory condition and all contributions to Ministry and Mission are fully paid. Retiring offerings go to local and national charities. Our congregation is generous to any fundraising events and is keen to financially support specific projects.
As a congregation we have a Reserves Policy whereby we aim to hold reserves of between 3 and 6 months of expenditure across unrestricted funds to allow us to deal with unexpected costs or lower than expected income. At the end of 2014 our reserves equated to just under six months of expenditure.
Our employees are paid the living wage and this is reviewed annually.
COMMUNICATION
We have an intimation sheet each Sunday and produce a Church Magazine, The Circle, four times a year. This is delivered to members and adherents by our leadership team. In addition, we have our own website.
We realise that we are not able to tell you everything about our congregation but we hope that this short profile has given you a flavour of what goes on in our Church.
If you would like additional information or an informal chat, please do not hesitate to contact our Interim Moderator Rev. Dr. Jean Gallacher, telephone 01324 824540, Email
Applications can be made to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Mr George Barrowman, Email George.barrowman@ stirling.co.uk