Breakaway church seeks minister

A breakaway congregation is looking to build a permanent church building.

Stornoway High Free Church has grown in numbers following a split in the High Church of Scotland last year.

Now they are seeking a permanent minister as well as a brick-and-mortar building in which to worship.

Some 250 worshippers left the Matheson Road congregation in April 2014 in protest of the Church of Scotland’s decision to allow gay ministers and the departure from Biblical teaching.

Initially meeting as a fellowship, the group, adhering to their wish to continue as a distinct separate congregation, joined the Free Church of Scotland.

Regular Sunday services - in Gaelic and English - are held in the Stornoway Primary while mid-week prayer meetings are hosted in the Lewis Retirement Centre.

The congregation’s property committee is assessing a number of certain locations around Stornoway for their suitability for a new community church.

A new-build on a site on Smith Avenue is just one of the options being considered.

Meanwhile, the search for a pastor continues with three ministers - down from an initial list of five - being invited to preach to the congregation.

Breakaway church seeks minister and permanent home

4 May 2015