About Us 

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Are you new to the church or the area? If so, you are very welcome!


We are local people moved by the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ.  We want to grow that understanding and share the good news with everyone.  Our congregation comprises young & old, male & female, different backgrounds & nationalities, new Christians, long-standing Christians, and people interested to know more about church and Christianity.

We express our worship in singing traditional and contemporary hymns, psalms, and praise songs. We pray for and with one another, and for the wider world.
 
We find great comfort in the love and goodness of God. However, we are also made uncomfortable as God challenges us in His Word to live His way in our current generation.
 
Our desire is to live out our Christian faith honestly, openly and faithfully before God wherever we find ourselves on any day of the week. As we grow and mature together in serving the Lord we want also to share the amazingly good news of Jesus Christ with neighbours, family and friends. 

Serving, sharing, growing in Christ; all who trust in the Lord Jesus as Saviour and Lord have a part, as “church”.
 
TAB bible vignette 781x702 We believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, and it speaks wonderfully into our lives and all world situations today. The reading and understanding of God’s Word is central to all we do. 
 


Our history so far


On 12th November 2023 the minister, elders, and a significant number of the worshiping congregation of Maxwell Mearns Castle Church departed from the Church of Scotland to form a new local congregation, "Newton Mearns New Church" (NMNC).  

Following a sustained period of focused, prayerful discernment, the elders felt that decisions made at successive Church of Scotland General Assemblies on biblical morality, the imminent relativising of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the implications of the Church of Scotland Presbytery Planning process made departure a sad necessity.

The minister and elders of Maxwell Mearns Castle Church had come to two clear conclusions.
1. We should depart from the Church of Scotland.
2. We should seek a home for the new congregation within the Free Church of Scotland as soon as possible.


These prayerful deliberations were set before the congregation of Maxwell Mearns Castle Church.

Although departing meant leaving behind our church premises, the minister's manse and all financial and physical assets, we were convinced that we were following the Lord’s leading.

On Sunday 12th November 2023, 160 people gathered in a local school gymnasium for worship as Newton Mearns New Church.

On Tuesday 21st May 2024, the second conclusion of the elders was secured when the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland welcomed NMNC as a congregation of The Free Church. Rev Dr Scott Kirkland, a Church of Scotland minister for 27 years and NMNC minister for six months, was accepted at the same Assembly as a Free Church Minister. 
  
On Sunday 26th May 2024 we gathered for worship as  Mearns Free Church. The elders were set apart for the responsibility of overseeing the life of the congregation and Scott was inducted as the first Free Church minister of the congregation.

Planning your Visit

 A Warm Hello!

Smiling welcome

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We rent space at Belmont House School for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am (local map here).
Cars...We use the playground as a car park and there is plenty of space. Please park on the premises.
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In the interests of good neighbourly relations please do not park on Sandringham Avenue. 

In the unlikely event that the car park is full, or you prefer not to park on the premises, please use one of the side roads nearby but not Sandringham Avenue. (We do not want to hinder the flow of traffic or block pavements on Sandringham.)

Entering the building...As you enter the premises, you will be greeted by one of our regular worshippers who will direct you to the auditorium where we meet. 
Songs and bible readings will be displayed on a screen at the front. 

The Minister will guide us through our time of worship. Don't worry about knowing when to stand or sit. The Minister will lead us through worship. Our time together is structured and appropriately "reverent", but it is a "relaxed reverence"! 

We serve tea & coffee after the service, and this is a great way to meet people or simply take time to find your bearings. 

Is there a dress code? Not at all - come casual, come smart, but just come!
Will I have to join in? You're welcome to simply observe or to participate actively 
Accessibility There is wheelchair access, and a disabled toilet


Our Worship

Just before we are called to worship by the Minister, we usually have an item of "gathering praise". This is a good opportunity to settle ourselves in anticipation of being called to enter God's presence together. Some find it helpful to use this time to pray quietly. Others prefer to reflect on the words being sung and some like to simply become quiet. 

The service of worship begins formally at 10:30 am with a call to worship and lasts around 70 minutes.
  
Preaching, praise and prayer are central to our worship.
We share in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the last Sunday of each month. Some Sundays will include the sacrament of Baptism.

Our service of worship will include traditional and contemporary praise. We also include songs from the bible called "Psalms".

Though our worship has an informal "feel" to it, we do follow an order which the Minister determines. It will usually look something like this; 

  • Welcome with notices
  • Call to worship with a Bible Scripture
  • Praise (this may be one or more items of praise) 
  • Prayer of adoration & confession (we acknowledge the greatness of God and our need for forgiveness)  
  • Talk to children (& sometimes a children's song)
  • The children leave for age-appropriate groups 
  • Prayer of thanksgiving & intercession (we pray with thanksgiving and for the world)
  • Reading from the Bible
  • The sermon (the aim is to explain the passage of the bible read and apply it to life)
  • Praise
  • Benediction ( a blessing spoken over the congregation) 

Our singing is led by our musicians, and the words of the praise are projected onto a large screen so that everyone can join in freely or just read & listen.

Don't worry if you're not a great singer - just making a joyful noise to the Lord is fine!
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What about my kids?
Children 800x400 We welcome children of all ages 
  •  Creche  (0 - 3 years) 
  •  HizKidz  Nursery - P7   
  •  Prime Time   S1 - S3
  • Older youth remain in worship
For more information about what happens in the children's work please click here

As well as our Sunday morning service we have gatherings in church and in our homes. These include prayer meetings, Bible study groups, youth group meetings, all-age outreach activities, special events, and more.

We have more information for you specifically if you…

Click here to contact us for further information - we'd love to hear from you

If you'd like to know about some of our staff, please check out our Staff and Leadership page.


Getting Connected

Small Groups
While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet during the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.


 
Would you like additional assistance to visit?
We'd be happy to help - just give us a few days' notice and we will aim to help make suitable arrangements with you. However, even without advance notice our door team is always happy to help on the day!
 
Name:
Telephone:
Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?
 
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It is our prayer that you might come to feel at home in  Mearns Free Church!

Scott Kirkland, Minister
minister@mearnsfree.org