Village church holds final service

BRYDEKIRK Church hosted its final act of worship last Sunday, however, the congregation will be able to continue attending services at an alternative location in the village.

The building had been scheduled to close at the end of the year after the Church of Scotland decided the congregation, while relatively healthy for a small community, was not enough to maintain such a large building.

Giving more detail, a Church of Scotland spokesman said: “Brydekirk Church occupies the highest point of the village and dates to 1835.

“Its interior was remodelled in 1900 and it has a capacity of 180 worshippers.

“In 2021 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland instructed presbyteries to complete a Mission Plan as part of a comprehensive programme of reforms to ensure the best use of resources as we face the challenge of delivering the Christian message in the challenging 21st century environment.

“As part of this process, the Presbytery Mission Plan for the Presbytery of Annandale and Eskdale, now part of the Presbytery of the South West, agreed that Brydekirk would unite with Annan St Andrew’s, Dalton and Hightae to form Annan: St Andrew’s and St Bryde’s, with the union taking place on June 9 2024.

“The minister of the united charge is Rev John Pickles, who was the minister at St Andrew’s prior to the union.”

The spokesman added: “The intention was that, after a period of adjustment, the place of worship for the United Charge would be the former St Andrew’s building.

“The congregation at Brydekirk, while healthy for a community of the size it serves, was viewed as too small to maintain a building of its size, and the building was scheduled to close at the end of 2025, as has now happened.

“The congregation will continue to worship in Brydekirk Village Hall at 4 pm on Sundays.”

It was confirmed that the church building has not yet been released for sale.

The spokesman said: “The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and serving our local communities.

“Having fewer congregational buildings will reduce pressure on congregational finances, freeing up funds and general income for other Church missional activities and a more sustainable situation.”