In the minds of many people the word "church" invariably invokes images of church buildings. The Church however is essentially, people; to say "the church is a building" is a bit like saying "the family is a house". Dalserf Church then is about a group of Christian people who meet weekly to worship God, who teach and guide the young folk of the parish, who enjoy fellowship together, who pray and study the Bible together and who visit the sick and housebound. If you are interested for yourself or for your family in any aspect of the congregation feel free to contact us for more information or just to make initial contact. We particularly invite you to join us at a service of worship on a Sunday. There is absolutely no obligation to seek membership although we will be very happy to guide you into church membership should you so desire.(see “Joining”).
All age groups are catered for. There is a Guild with 30 members.There are around 40 children in our two Sunday Schools “Sunday Pathfinders” in Ashgill and the" Fun Factory" in Netherburn. There are currently about 90 young folk from 5 to 18 ycars of age in our uniformed organizations. There is also a Bible Class (The Big Bible Breakfast ).
Dalserf Parish church belonging as do all other parish churches in Scotland to The Church of Scotland, has a congregation of around 260. The government of the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian. There are several different kinds of constitution Church of Scotland congregations may have. Dalserfs constitution is called Quoad Omnia which means that the congregation is governed entirely by one court - the Kirk Session which comprises the minister and the elders. Much of the work of the Session however is devolved to committees which include elders but are by no means made up exclusively of elders.. The committees in Dalserf at present are:- The Pastoral Care Committee (or team ), the Outreach and Development Committee, The Rorison Renovation Committee and the Youth Committee. All important decisions have to be made by the Kirk Session.
We have two church buildings - DALSERF down in the Clyde valley just off the A72 between Garrion Bridge and Rosebank and RORISON in Ashgillhead Road. Ashgill. (Rorison church is undergoing extensive renovation).
Our church hall along with several committee rooms is located at Rorison. (see Rorison Renovation Project, below)We have a small hall "The Meeting Place" in Dalserf Village used mainly for tea and fellowship after the Sunday service. A service is held in Dalserf Church every Sunday at 12 noon (10.30 in July and August).
A residential caravan beside Dalserf church provides a comfortable venue for a creche run by a rota of responsible church members. Parents are welcome to leave babies and pre-school age children (or older) in order to attend the service Normally children would be in church for at least the children's address and hymn and then leave for the caravan, but this is left to parents discretion. Sunday worship at Rorison Church is on the first Sunday of the month at 3.30 In addition to the meetings and services listed there are two groups meeting on Thursday evenings for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. One in The Meeting Place at 8pm. and one in members homes at 7.30pm. The Parish of Dalserf comprises the villages of Ashgill, Shawsburn, Netherburn and Rosebank as well as the hamlet of Dalserf itself. The parish boundaries extend considerably, beyond the villages to include a number of farms and many other isolated dwellings.
The origins of Dalserf congregation reach back to the early days of Presbyterianism in Scotland, the first minister Andrew Hamilton M.A. being admitted in 1593.The present Dalserf Church building was erected in 1655. These were the days of the "Covenananters". 52 brave men and women from Dalserf are recorded as having suffered in one way or another for this cause, which was basically one of freedom to worship in a Presbyterian as opposed to Episcopalian manner.
The most radical changes in the present building took place just over 100 years ago when owing to the generosity of Dalserfs most illustrious benefactor - The first Lord Newlands of Mauldslie, the accomodation at Dalserf was substantially increased by the addition of the centre area and the galleries.The seating capacity is now almost 400. In the churchyard there are several graves In the churchyard there are several gravesof notable characters such as William Hamilton - "The Persecuting Raploch" one of the most notorious persecutors of the Covenanters in this area. Another by complete contrast is that of the Rev. John MacMillan “Covenanter of Covenanters" first minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Rorison Church was built in 1889 as a mission church to meet the needs of the upper part of the parish. Son of Lord Newlands, The right Honourable James Hozier MP, who resided at Maulslie castle, was a member of Dalserf church and a generous benefactor. He donated a substantial sum towards the cost of extensions at Rorison. His wife was related to Clementine Hozier Winston Churchill's wife. Winston Churchill has worshipped at Dalserf Church whilst visting his in-laws.
RORISON RENOVATION PROJECT
The Rorison Renovation Project is possibly the most demanding financial challenge Dalserf Church has ever faced in its long history. Although the original 1655 building in Dalserf village is our main centre for Sunday worship, Rorison Church in Ashgill is our most frequently used premises during the week providing accommodation for our youth organisations as well as other meetings and events. To a large extent the outreach and the social life of the congregation are dependent on this building erected in 1889. Major renovation of the building was agreed to by the Kirk Session at an estimated cost of over £300,000 . Apart from a number of fabric problems including dry rot and leaking windows, and the necessity to comply with disability legislation, restructuring of the interior was been proposed to make the building more suitable for our present use. The last professional survey of the building carried out by the Presbytery identified £240,000 of work required almost all of it either classed as urgent or essential.
Since worship services in Rorison rarely involve more than a couple of dozen people it was felt that a new worship area should be created. The former sanctuary - the largest area is now our largest hall an adjacent hall with a movable partition between can provide a large area for events such as ceilidhs. There were four rooms the larger serving as the Session room. In their place is the new worship area called simply "The Sanctuary" a small vestry, a shower (to make the building suitable to provide overnight accomodation to visiting groups) and a sizeable store with a floored loft above accessed by a Ramsay ladder.
Part of the roof has been restructured to "design out" a recurring problem of water penetration and consequent damage to decor in the main passageway. Increased comfort and safety with disabled access and improved toilets etc. have also been aims of the renovation.
The work is being done in two phases. The first phase has cost just over £200,000. The second will cost £25,000 - £30,000. Most of the money has been produced by the congregation £20,000 - £25,000 having been raised each year 2002-2007. We expect to be able to cover the cost of phase two with grants.
THE NEW MEETING PLACE
A new hall has recently been erected in Dalserf village very close to the church. This replaces "The Meeting Place" a small hall belonging to Dalserf Estate and a residential caravan which occupied the site of the new building. The hall has excellent toilet and kitchen facilities. The finance for this project came from several generous members. part of a legacy (The Marion Walker Fund) and a grant of £25,000.
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