Campaigners have blasted the potential closure of an “iconic” Renfrewshire church – claiming it would be “horrible” if the historic building was axed.
Johnstone High Parish Church’s main sanctuary in Ludovic Square, which is more than 200 years old, could cease to be a place of worship under Clyde Presbytery proposals.
A meeting will take place tomorrow which could determine its fate as the Church of Scotland “reshapes” into an organisation with fewer buildings and charges.
But members of the church and community have been left bamboozled at the prospect of the sanctuary, which they say is home to a “thriving congregation”, closing its doors, with the halls being kept in use.
Margaret Whyte, a member of Johnstone High Parish, said: “It would be terrible, it would really be horrible. We’ve got a thriving congregation, it’s multi-cultural, we have 100 people every week without fail.
“They were originally closing churches because they don’t have ministers or people using them. We do understand that. But our church is well used, it’s vibrant, it’s got people sitting in the seats on a Sunday.”
The church has been deemed a category B building in the presbytery mission plan – which the Kirk has insisted is still “under review” – meaning it would not be required for future use and could be sold. St Andrew’s Trinity Parish Church in the town, a newer building, is facing the same fate.
Councillor Iain McMillan, a Labour representative for Johnstone South and Elderslie, said elected members cross-party have written to church hierarchy.
He said: “The high parish church in Johnstone terms is iconic. It’s a building in the centre of town and everybody knows it.
“There’s a lot of things going on in the church – not just the traditional Sunday service, there’s a lot of outreach work done in various halls, whether it’s kids activities or things to do with mental health.
“The strange thing is the congregation seems to be growing. Immigrants have moved into the Johnstone area and that’s great to see.
“We always want to see new life coming into Johnstone and a lot of them are drifting towards the high parish church, which is great again.”
Ewan Finlay, a member of Johnstone Community Council, said: “It’s the epicentre of the town really.
“They have a very active Sunday school, they have a communicants’ class for new members, they have a praise band and they teach youngsters in the church how to play musical instruments.
“They’re very active in their work – not just within the church but the community as well.”
A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: “Clyde Presbytery has produced a five-year mission plan to allocate limited resources to parishes and congregations to ensure well-equipped spaces are in the right places to effectively deliver Jesus’ call to mission and discipleship and serve the people in our communities.
“The mission plan, which is under review and will be discussed at a presbytery meeting on June 20, has sorted congregations into clusters and in Johnstone, there are four buildings.
“Under the proposals, the Johnstone High Church building sanctuary will cease to be a place of worship at some stage within the lifespan of the mission plan but it is proposed that the halls will be kept in use to allow for a missional presence to be retained within the heart of the town.
“The St Paul’s Church building in Johnstone will be retained and the St Andrew’s Trinity building will be disposed of.
“It is proposed that a three way union of the churches in Johnstone should be created and the worship space will be at St Paul’s. One full-time ministries post will be allocated to this new charge.
“At least one service will be held on a monthly basis in Johnstone St Andrew’s Trinity to allow for a presence to be retained until the building is disposed of and the congregation have had time to transition to the St Paul’s building.
“It is important to note that approved mission plans will be reviewed robustly each year and alterations could be made depending on circumstances.”
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