SDMP: The Story So Far...
A church can mean several things to people. A place where hymns are sung; a place where God is worshipped; a kind of community centre; something for very old people; an out-of-date building with extremely odd seating (aka ‘pews’); somewhere to pray and think about deeper things. What’s your view?
Whatever your view of ‘church’, may we briefly tell you something about us here at St David’s Memorial Park Church, usually known as SDMP. The present building dates back to 1926 and was gifted to the congregation by a grateful family. Over the years developments have taken place - refurbished halls, an area for a Praise band, a new kitchen, a new office, 2 spacious halls, a children’s room or crêche. Some will say that our organ is one of the best in the land. When the former Park Church teamed up with us, the current Park Centre was born, a vital resource and support for people in the Kirkie community.
We meet every Sunday at 10.30 for a short time of ‘worship’, when we pray, sing some hymns/songs, listen to our preacher give a talk, and then there’s Coffee n’ Chat (real coffee!). There’s also a midweek meeting (Tuesdays at 12pm). People who come in for the first time might be a bit baffled about the whole setup, but it’s not a dangerous activity! Also, there are quite a few clubs (e.g. Line Dancing, Brownies, Guides, Taekwondo, bowls, the Choir, Friendship group, the Guild, Housegroups for Bible study….lots). Our Prayer Chain seeks to offer support to those in need. We’re still learning about how to be relevant, real and a blessing to our locality and community.
So, if you pop along, we’ll do our best to make you feel welcome. And you’ll love the coffee!
Our Faith
We are a Church of Scotland congregation. The Church of Scotland seeks to inspire the people of Scotland and beyond with the Good News of Jesus Christ through enthusiastic worshipping, witnessing, nurturing and serving communities.
The Church of Scotland is one of the largest organisations in the country, with around 300,000 members, with more regularly involved in local congregations and our work. There are around 800 ministers serving in parishes and chaplaincies, supported by both centrally and locally employed staff.
Most of our parishes are in Scotland, but there also churches in England, Europe and overseas. The Church of Scotland plays a pivotal role in Scottish society and works with communities worldwide.
If you want to find out more, why not check out the Church of Scotland website.
We are a part of a wider regional group of churches, the Presbytery of Glasgow. You can find out more on the Presbytery of Glasgow website.
Our Worship
We have a weekly Sunday morning service at 10.30am, to which all are welcome. The service lasts an hour, and there is provision for young people of all ages during this time.
Music in Worship
Our choir leads our congregation in singing every Sunday, with a wide range of hymns, anthems and introits from the 16th century through to the 21st century.
SDMP has an organ built by Anneesens of Belgium in 1899 in the previous building. When the present sanctuary was built in 1926, the organ was moved and enlarged by Ingram of Edinburgh. It used a hydraulic blower until 1974 when the present electric blower was installed. The instrument was electrified, and more stops added by Goldsmith of Edinburgh in 1979 and 1989, making it one of the largest 2 manual organs in Scotland with 36 speaking stops.
Art in Worship
Our Art in Worship team work hard to decorate our sanctuary space for special festivals in the church calendar. From life sized Nativity characters populating the chancel at Christmas, to floral displays around an empty cross on Easter Sunday, to banners proclaiming messages from the Gospel, and so much more, Art in Worship is a valuable asset to our worship through the year.
