A vision to create a sustainable worshipping congregation serving the community for generations to come.
A Legacy for Future Generations
Annexe to the Sanctuary
It was in November 2020 that the congregation voted by 410 votes to 55 in favour of the sale of land and buildings on the north side of the church sanctuary, and the construction of an annexe to the south side of the current sanctuary. The halls that stood on the ground being sold were badly in need of repair, no longer suitable for the numbers now attending, expensive to maintain, had very restricted access for those with disabilities and inadequate toilet and kitchen provision. Money had been spent on trying to maintain the halls over the years but the Kirk Session’s view was that a more sustainable solution was to sell and create new, purpose built halls that better suited current and expected use. Following that overwhelming supportive vote, we embarked upon the necessary planning and design work for what was to become known as the Legacy Project.
The Historical Context
Clarkston was a very different place when Greenbank church was established in 1884. Contemporary commentators referred to Clarkston as a rural village with approximately two hundred and fifty inhabitants. How that was to change! The extension of the railway from Glasgow and the movement of people from areas such as Langside, Kings Park and Rutherglen heralded significant growth and by the thirties some eight thousand houses had been built in the wider Clarkston area. By 1959 Greenbank’s membership stood at 1820 and in fact new members did not fall below 100 each year during the 50’s.
However, in 1884 all of this was still to come and those who came before us as members of Greenbank displayed great faith from establishing the church itself in open fields back in 1884 to all the developments over the years including the manse, Cowley Hall, chancel extension, church officer’s house, Fraser Hall and the link building. There was hardly a time when the congregation was not either planning the next development, fundraising for it or engaged in its construction. All evidence of a congregation responding and adapting to the changing needs of the church and community.
In 2025 it is now our turn to show that same faith. We are living in quite a different world from that of our predecessors and we need to equip the next generation of members to continue proclaiming the Gospel in both word and actions. Our responsibility is to ensure that there will be a sustainable, worshipping, congregation in our community for many years to come.
What is being constructed
A presentation at the 2023 Annual Stated Meeting detailed what was planned and invited comments and suggestions on any aspect. It showed an annexe to the south side of the current sanctuary with a new level pedestrian access from Mansefield Road. The existing sanctuary would be retained as the worship space and the annexe would provide a large hall suitable for games and other events, a smaller multipurpose hall, a gathering and café space, Church office and vestry, kitchen and toilets. This leaves the sanctuary as the worship space, quite different and distinct from the annexe.
The floorplan opposite shows the layout.
The artist’s impression shows the entrance at the head of the new level access from Mansefield Road. The large hall can be seen to the left and the smaller multi-purpose space with windows open to Eaglesham Road on the right.
Over the last few months, a detailed specification of the work was issued to a number of contractors and we are very pleased to say that the contract to carry out our work has been awarded to Flemings Buildings Ltd., a Glasgow based company with significant experience of working in church development. This is a multi-million pound project and is important not just for us here in Clarkston as the largest provider of community available space in the parish but also or the National church as it works through a Radical Action Plan for the whole country.
At the very outset of the project, we made a promise that we would not leave the congregation in debt in order to bring about the Legacy Vision. Indeed, one of the characteristics mentioned above was that the development should be burden free. We have been able to keep that promise and are extremely grateful to all who have contributed. The full cost is being met through a combination of the sale of the land to the north of the sanctuary, successful capital grant applications, money pledged by the congregation, a whole range of fundraising activities and very significant financial support from the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland. This final source of funding is worthy of special mention. The General Trustees have been very supportive of all that we had planned for Greenbank. Not only have they provided financial backing for the project but they have also offered us invaluable practical assistance from their vast experience of working throughout Scotland. It is no exaggeration to say that the project in its current form would not have been possible without their support.
Work started in March and it is anticipated that the full construction will take just short of a year to complete.
The Church of Scotland is actively engaged in what the General Assembly calls its Radical Action Plan. The aim of the plan, in part, is to ensure that we have the right spaces in the right places and what we are doing at Greenbank meets that aspiration in every respect. Our project emerged from the reality of a falling roll, the constantly increasing costs of maintaining an estate too large for our needs and the imperative that we ensured the presence of a worshipping congregation of God’s people in this community for many years to come. We now move forward in faith, just as generations have done before us.