Our Parish
Introduction
The combined charge of Netherlee and Stamperland became vacant in August 2024 when our minister left to take up the post of Glasgow University Chaplain. He had been inducted to the charge of Stamperland Parish in 2017 and thereafter became the minister of the united charge upon the union of the two congregations on 1st January 2020.
Glasgow Presbytery has granted permission to call on an unrestricted basis. The Kirk Session voted to depart from the historic and current practice of the Church of Scotland in order to permit the ordination, induction or appointment of a minister who is in a civil partnership or a same sex marriage.
Our Mission Statement
As part of the Church of Scotland, Netherlee and Stamperland Parish Church is committed to worshipping God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we commit ourselves to serve the needs of all people who live in our parish.
We are a church seeking always to find new ways to love God and our neighbours, and within this mission we aim to:
- Be a place providing regular worship of God.
- Provide a welcoming space for all who are isolated or alone in our parish.
- Identify new projects that serve our community with love,
- Provide a space for groups in the community to meet.
- Develop new ways of working with families throughout the parish.
- Develop new methods of aiding pastoral care within our community.
Our History
Netherlee Parish Church was formed in April 1928 and the present sanctuary was consecrated opened in June 1934. Stamperland Parish Church was established in 1940 with the sanctuary and halls continuing in use until their sale in 2022 when both congregations united in the Netherlee sanctuary and halls complex. Fuller historical information can be found here.
The union has been an opportunity to take what we had achieved individually and move forward with a new shared ministry in the united charge. We are proud of our shared heritage, but recognise and accept the ongoing challenge to serve the enlarged parish area and to look at new ways of worshipping, reaching out to and connecting with the community.
Our Vision
Sunday worship is key and is well supported. We seek to build on our current tradition, but are happy to explore alternative, inclusive forms of worship.
- We recognise the impact that age, mobility and health have on the ability to attend traditional worship.
- We are also aware of the demands of time, family and work commitments have on the ability of young parents and children to attend regular worship.
- We aim to make full use of opportunities provided by new technologies. Our focus is that our worship is not constrained to take place only on a Sunday or in a single format.
- We seek to develop our existing activities to explore and implement additional ideas and ventures and to expand the role of the church in our community.
- We seek to be an inclusive congregation meeting the needs of all age groups and abilities.
- We seek to interact with all organisations using our premises, to encourage them to become involved in the life of the church and not just to make use of our excellent accommodation.
- We seek to develop our relations with our community. There is a natural “village” feel about the enlarged parish encompassing the two settled geographical areas of Stamperland and Netherlee.
- We seek to extend the church family, sharing our faith within the parish.
Church Life
Our roll stands at 571 with 19 adherents. Sunday worship is held at 10.30 am with an average attendance of 150. There are no regular evening services except at Easter and Christmas. We hold a mid-week service on Wednesday mornings at 10.30 am with tea/coffee and fellowship thereafter with average attendance being around 25. Once a month we also provide lunch after this service which is open to anyone and not just those who attended the service. Communion services are held four times a year at 10.30 am on the first Sundays of March, June September and December as well as Easter Sunday. The Wednesday services mirror this pattern for communion in these months.
There is a Dawn Service in Linn Park on Easter Sunday and a Time to Remember Service for bereaved people in December. Our Remembrance Service is always a special and moving occasion.
Netherlee & Stamperland operates under the Unitary Constitution of the Church of Scotland. Our Kirk Session comprises of 53 elders, 21 men and 32 women with 5 new elders ordained in May 2024.
Session Committees
- Children & Youth Ministry
- Fabric and Finance
- Pastoral Care
- Planning and Communication
- Wider Mission
- Worship & Adult Education
Our congregation generously and willingly supports many outreach projects by way of retiring offerings, coffee mornings, and special appeals. These include:
- Christian Aid
- Cranhill Development Trust – We collect items for their shop.
- Glasgow and South East Foodbank – We collect items and financially support the foodbank throughout the year.
- Lodging House Mission – We collect items, support with the yearly harvest offering and contribute towards any appeals for help.
- Poppy Scotland
- Sri Lanka – Netherlee Cottage
- Starchild
- Starter Packs
- Tear Fund
Each week there is a Lunch Club for people living with dementia in the local community supporting 15 people. The Club has been running for 10 years and provides valuable support for the carers. Our Club is organised by a team of volunteers who take part in the activities and provide refreshments.
Community Profile
Within the below attached Presbytery Statistical Profile link there is a map of the parish which shows how closely knit the areas of Netherlee and Stamperland are. On the East, the Parish is bordered by the beautiful Linn Park.
Housing is largely owner-occupied (approx. 90%). There is a mixture of detached, semi-detached and terraced properties in addition to bungalows and flats. There is no large-scale industry and only very limited industrial premises in the parish area. Within the parish lies Netherlee Primary School which is a feeder for the nearby Williamwood High School. Both have an excellent reputation which is a significant factor in encouraging parents with young children to move into the area. As a church we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the primary school providing regular chaplaincy services. We accommodate the school family for end-of-term services at Christmas and Easter.
Also within the parish is Williamwood House, a specialist Crossreach care home for older people living with dementia and Clarkston House, a private facility for those who require assisted living. The minister for Netherlee & Stamperland is chaplain for Williamwood House and is responsible for the conduct of worship services and is part of the monthly worship rota.
Other Activities
There are many other community groups regularly using our premises.
These include: Adult Country Dancing, CASS (Clarkston After School Service), Essentrics, Enjoy-A-Ball, GirlGuiding (Guides, Brownies, Rainbows and Trefoil Guild) Golf-Fit, Mothers and Toddlers, Silver Swans Ballet, Sounds International Choir, South Side Dance Academy a Stamp Club and Yoga.
Activities organised by church members include: The Forum – a lecture and discussion group meeting monthly between September and March and is attended by church and community members. The Walking Group meets every Friday to walk in Linn Park, followed by tea, coffee and chat in the Small Hall. The Men’s Association meets occasionally for a variety of social events and welcomes new members. They also support the church by taking on small maintenance projects.
Less regular events include our annual Christmas Tree Festival, concerts by local professional musicians and community choirs and our halls are regularly leased for private celebrations and events.
Due to an excellent arrangement with our BB, we are able to have regular use of their minibus to collect people from their homes enabling them to safely attend worship services, the Guild, the Forum and other events. We are grateful to our volunteer drivers who make this possible. The Website Calendar demonstrates the variety of organisations and groups regularly using our halls, showing how busy our church can be.
Worship
We have a strong choral tradition, and our Sunday worship is enhanced by a choir of around twenty-five singers led by our organist/choir master. We have an exceptional pipe organ which is much appreciated by our congregation and is employed along with a piano to support congregational praise. At Easter and Christmas the choir is supplemented by volunteers to support an enlarged repertoire of works. CH4 is used as the norm, but projection allows the congregation to use the whole spectrum of musical material.
Pastoral Care
The current Presbytery Plan specifies our ministry team as 1 minister of Word and Sacrament. For the past 5 years we have benefitted from the service of an MDS (Ministry Development Staff) pastoral assistant. This post will end on 31st December 2025.
‘Care and Share’ is a service where we support families or individuals after a bereavement, birth of a new child or other challenging periods in their lives. It is delivered by volunteers in close communication with the minister and pastoral assistant.
The Flower Committee not only brightens up the sanctuary with their arrangements, but after each service the ministry of flowers is delivered to members of the congregation and wider community to let them know that they are in our thoughts and prayers. Ongoing pastoral care is an area important to the Kirk Session and requires discussion with our new minister and with our cluster grouping churches of Busby and Greenbank.
Christian Education
Our Sunday Club at the moment is two girls and a “typical” boy who leaves the sanctuary at the run (you may have seen him on our YouTube recordings). There is a small group in our “senior” Sunday Club. There is a busy and active Boys’ Brigade, comprising Anchor Boys, Junior, and Company Sections. The minister is chaplain to the BB.
Our lively Guild meets weekly with worship and speakers on a range of topics.
Adult study groups regularly take place around lent and advent, using materials by contemporary Christian writers.
Our teen group and a number of adult groups have enjoyed visits to Iona and participating in programmes offered by the Iona Community, deepening their faith and broadening their spiritual experiences.
Ecumenical Context
Our work across the surrounding neighbouring areas sees our congregation as members of an ecumenical grouping of local churches called Clarkston Churches Together (CCT). The group comes together to offer worship services at various times throughout the year, with special emphasis on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and Easter. Other outreach events are held throughout the year as opportunities arise. The group is comprised of the Church of Scotland Congregations of Busby, Greenbank, Netherlee & Stamperland, together with St Joseph’s RC, Cartsbridge Evangelical and St Aidan’s Scottish Episcopal Churches.
World Church
Our congregation actively supports the work of Christian Aid and we are members of the local committee which organises an annual Art show. We also have a formal twinning arrangement (approved by Glasgow Presbytery) with Cranhill Development Trust in the east end of Glasgow and St Andrew’s Scots Kirk in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We have regular contact with the Rev. Muriel Pearson (Associate Minister in St. Andrew’s Jerusalem and Tiberias in Israel) who has kept us well informed on the situation in Israel/Palestine. This has allowed us to understand better the conflict, people and the faith groups caught up in the violence.
Stewardship and Finance
Our Giving to Grow figures for the last three years 2022, 2023 and 2024 (provisional) are £152,000, £129,000 and £108,000. In the corresponding three-year period our income was £232,000, £197,000, and £213,000 and the shortfalls for 2022, 2023 and 2024 were £24,000, £26,000 and £13,000. While the shortfalls are not inconsequential our reserves are strong with designated funds of £554,386; restricted funds of £34,842; and unrestricted funds of £689,870 at 31 December 2024. In both 2024 and the current year, recognising our obligation to maintain our buildings and to meet our Giving to Grow responsibilities, we have approached our Stewardship concerns by initiating a ‘Review of Givings’ . We have asked members, if able, to supplement their regular offerings with a one-off donation which in 2024 delivered £16,468. There is a spirit of generosity in our congregation for which we are deeply grateful, and this spirit was underlined in 2024 by the receipt of a legacy of £50,000. A set of our Accounts can be found below.
Staffing
We employ a Church Secretary for 9 hours per week who assists the minister, but who also fulfils a broader role booking hall accommodation and arranging the associated paperwork. All administration required for the Kirk Session, including Stewardship, Gift Aid and FWO (free-will-offering) is provided by the secretary.
We do not have a church officer, but Sunday beadle duties are addressed by the duty elder team. There are six teams who rotate week by week. Cleaning duties are covered by our part time cleaner.
The other member of staff is of course our Organist/Choirmaster who is held in high regard for his musical ability. (We are also fortunate to have a stand-in organist within the congregation.)
Church and Halls
The sanctuary is shown in the photographs adjacent along with the “Lesser Sanctuary”. This provides a circulation space for the minister to greet the congregation at the close of the service as well as a meeting place for our Wednesday service, for The Guild and for meetings of the Forum. The Lesser Sanctuary and Large Hall are set up with Audio Visual capacity.
The remaining church accommodation comprises the vestry, a waiting room , a church office (equipped with modern IT and printer), an accessible toilet, a “Welcome Hall” providing another circulation space which gives access to the halls, a Small Hall and an Upper Hall, these last two being more or less identical in size, the toilets which serve the church and a superb commercial kitchen which underpins our wide hospitality provision.
Our main hall (the Large Hall) is accessible by stairs and a lift. We also have flat access to the church, allowing members and visitors with a disability to be able to access most areas of the church.
At the front of the sanctuary, we have chairs that can be easily removed to allow a larger, flexible space for activities and wheelchairs as needed.
With the exception of the Upper Hall, all accommodation is fully accessible.
The Manse
The manse located at 25 Ormonde Avenue, Netherlee is an end-terraced red sandstone property and is approximately five minutes’ walk from the Church.
It consists of the following accommodation:
- Ground Floor: entrance vestibule, large square hallway, lounge, dining room, living room, small study, kitchen, and w/c with shower room.
- First Floor: four bedrooms and family bathroom. One of the bedrooms is currently used as the minister’s study.
There is a small garden to the front, side and rear of the property. A single garage to the back of the property has easy access from the rear lane and sufficient space to accommodate a car. There is a gas fired central heating system employing a new boiler and the two public rooms have feature gas fires. The front and rear gardens were reformed with new grass and monobloc paths within the last two years.
Download our Parish Profile
Here is a .pdf version of this profile which also contains the vacancy advert.
Download
Title: Parish Profile Final for website