Forth St Paul’s Parish Church Profile of a Church and its Community

The Church on Main Street The Profile of a Church usually contains all the facts and figures relating to the congregation and the activities they undertake. While these are an essential part of the process to draw an image of the Church they don’t give the whole picture.

There are many facets to a community like Forth and to focus on only one or two will give a very shallow picture of what is a vibrant and caring community. As a former mining village the roots are firmly set in the community and at its centre is our Church.”

The Place and The People While Forth is a rural charge and is centred on the village of that name there are other communities which go to make up the whole. Wilsontown, Haywood, Braehead, Climpy, Auchengray, Woolfords and Tarbrax are all nearby and each has its separate identity which go to make up the whole. Our people are our strength and while, like all congregations, the age profile trends towards the upper end, new faces are continually joining whether it be Jigsaw, our rebranded Sunday School, Breakfast Club which does what it says on the tin and much more besides, the Guild one of the core strengths of Forth St Paul’s not only for the spiritual needs of its members but as an example to the community as a whole of the true work of the Church in the Parish.

WHAT WE DO! FORTH ST PAUL’S Church Services Pizza/Pancake/ Curry Nights Christian Aid Lunches Church ShopFood Bank Prayer

Parish Community Co-ordinator Last year, the decision was taken to appoint a Parish Community Co-ordinator to strengthen and increase the links between Forth St Paul’s and the wider community in the village and surrounding area. To this end Lorraine Gray was appointed to the post and one of her first achievements was the establishment of a satellite station for the Clydesdale Food Bank in the village.

The Church in the Community Chaplaincy for Forth and Braehead Primary Schools, Christmas Lights, Gala Day, Forth Initiative Group, Story Keepers, Church Breakfasts and just being there for the community!

Where are we? Forth is located between Glasgow (28 miles) and Edinburgh (27 miles), close to the market town of Lanark (8 miles) and Livingston (12 miles) and overlooks the Southern Uplands and Pentland Hills. The A706 runs through the village and serves as a popular trunk route south from central Scotland and the nearest junction of the M8 is only 15 minutes away. The Parish is 900 feet above sea level and covers approximately 36 square miles of arable, grazing, forestry and moorland as well as the villages of Forth (population 2,800) Braehead (population 300) Wilsontown and Climpy (population of about 80 and 50 respectively) together with the smaller hamlets of Auchengray, Tarbrax and Woolfords, farms, cottages and rural housing.

Can You Spot What’s Missing? This profile only gives a snapshot of the Church in Forth and the facts and figures in greater detail are attached. We have tried to give a flavour of our Church and it’s involvement in the community. Come and join us on an exciting journey.