St. John’s Church 2000 – 2010
After a gap of two years, Rev. Nicola Frail became the new minister of St. John’s on 13th January 2004. She had previously studied for the ministry at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in California before returning to Scotland.
2004
Nicola is a trained Taekwondo instructor and started a successful group at the Church in April which meets weekly and caters for all levels of ability.
During the summer, fund raising enabled a new disabled WC to be provided.
A new large screen was acquired which allows all the words to the hymns and songs to be displayed. Church members no longer need to bring their own hymn books to Church. As it is connected to a laptop, it can be used for display of any computer based images and presentations.
The annual Guild and Get-Together bus trip visited Loch Lomond for a boat tour and afternoon tea.
St. John’s participated in a new outreach project, Operation Christmas Child, where shoe boxes were filled with gifts for children, regardless of religion, in countries such as Romania, Poland, Hungary and other areas of poverty. During the first year 118 boxes were filled. This project, although renamed, has continued each year since.
2005
Once again, a ‘Promise Auction’ was held during April with proceeds going to Church funds.
Strawberry Teas in the Church gardens were introduced in the summer with wet days catered in the halls – you can never predict the weather! Tea and strawberries were very popular as were the scones, meringues and ice cream!
Fair trade stalls and Soup and Sweet Lunches were started and are now regular events throughout the year.
Some of the celebrations during 2005 included the 75th anniversary of the Guild.
2006
The Kevock Choir were in concert in the spring which was very successful and well attended.
In the summer a special thanksgiving service for animals was held in the Church grounds with many pets joining in, including 14 well behaved dogs!
The ‘Get-Together’ celebrated 25 years with a special cake and many memories.
The Sunday School became the JC Club and meet in the Large Hall after the first part of the Sunday service. During the summer months they participate in fun activities such as baking, gardening and drama.
2007
In 2007 the Church was ‘open’ during Lent for a time of reflection on Wednesdays. This allowed a quiet place of prayer with readings and images provided on the large screen.
A new ‘Christianity Explored’ course was started by Nicola which explored the Christian faith.
In September a concert was held by the Inverkeithing Big Band which was very popular.
At the end of the year, Nicola attended her passing out parade at Sandhurst were she graduated as an Army Chaplin after attending previous training events.
2008
Palm Sunday saw the launch of this Church web site – which you are one of many visitors!
2008 marked the centenary of the Church and many events were held between March and September. Celebrations started with a special concert by the Central Band of the Royal British Legion Scotland at the end of March and continued with a Guild coffee morning in mid-April.
The Large Hall was renamed the Methven Hall in honour of John Methven who has been associated with the Boys’ Brigade at St. John’s for more than eighty years.
In April, the Taekwondo Club took a group of members to San Francisco to participate in competitions and be tested on their skills.
May saw the annual Guild/Get-Together bus trip, this year to North Berwick, for the Scottish Seabird Centre, and Dunbar.
The Kirkcaldy Gilbert and Sullivan Society held a special “Thank You for the Music” summer concert in the Church at the start of June with songs from forthcoming productions and other favourites.
With the Forth Road Bridge walkways closed for engineering works, the annual Christian Aid sponsored walk was replaced by the Church’s own event on the 21st June in the Beveridge Park.
Sadly the St. John’s Playgroup decided to close after running since 1972. Recent government policy now offers free nursery care for young children at local schools.
The start of July saw a special visit by the African Children’s Choir as part of the their UK tour. A packed Church was thrilled with the energy and ability of all the children.
The Children all came from South Africa and performed a selection of traditional African songs along with wild energetic dancing to the beat of the drummer boys.
During their three day visit, local host families looked after the children and adults whilst local schools organised special fund raising to support their work in Africa. The choir then moved on for a residency at the Edinburgh Festival.
A Memorabilia Exhibition was held in the Methven Hall over the first four days of August. As well as telling the story of the Church with pictures from the late 1800s to the present day, there were written memories from members of congregation and many pictures from the Church organisations over the years, including Sunday School picnics and Boys’ Brigade and Girl Guide camps.
You can also view a short video of the exhibits giving a flavour of the impressive research presented.
As part of the centenary activities, The Women’s Group documented their recent history in this document: Women’s Group 1970-2008.
To celebrate 125 years of the Boys’ Brigade a special service was held on the 31st August with the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, The Rt. Revd. David W. Lunan participating along with the Moderator of Kirkcaldy Presbytery, Mr Ian Biernat and members of St. John’s 4th Kirkcaldy Company of Boys’ Brigade. As part of the service a Cairn was dedicated to the Boys’ Brigade and to John Methven who celebrated 72 years of association with the Brigade.
The annual service for Pets was held on a sunny day in September, all the more welcome after the dull summer days.
In September, an anniversary flower festival was presented in conjunction with Kirkcaldy Floral Art Club. The theme was “Community Connections – Then and Now”.
Fifteen themed flower-works were created with additional displays around the Church. A selection of wedding dresses covering the last 100 years were also displayed in the hall where refreshments were provided.
At the end of the month a special centenary service was held along with a lunch at the Victoria Hotel. St. John’s welcomed the former Moderator, The Very Revd. Sheilagh Kesting, who delivered the sermon, and our former minister Rev. Sam McNaught who read the prayers of intercession. Musical highlights included the Kirkcaldy North Primary School Choir.
The annual Christmas Fayre was titled “Sale of the Century” to reflect the Church anniversary and offered the usual mix of homemade baking, clothing, jewelry, books, tombola and raffles.
At the end of November a very special Centenary Concert was held in the Church featuring contributions from the organisations. Led by Ann Mitchell with choirmaster Brian Booth, the programme featured songs, monologues, a fashion show and an attack by masked Taekwondo experts. The concert certainly ended the centenary year with a bang!
St. John’s Church (Kirkcaldy) Centenary Concert Programme
This special concert featured many of the Church’s organisations and was held on Saturday 29th November 2008. The full running order was:
- “An Ancient Prayer” by Mary Sherrard, Lilian Haig and Mary Struthers.
- Edith Chapman sings “Fly Home, Little Heart” from Ivor Novello’s “King’s Rhapsody”.
- The J.C. Club presents “A Deck of Cards” with Francis Allison, Nathan Henstock and Andrew Stewart.
- Ann Michell sings “Love’s Old Sweet Song”.
- The Guides and Brownies present “Uniforms through the Ages”.
- Recitation by Irene Wood – “The Homing Pigeon”.
- “Our Church” by Effie Cooper of the Get-Together group.
- Songs from Oliver. The Women’s Group sing “Consider Yourself”, “I’ll Do Anything” and “Oom Pah Pah”.
- Taekwondo Display. By the St. John’s Church Taekwondo Group.
- The Guild presents “A Vote of Thanks” featuring Isobel Grimshaw, Chrissie Hay, Margaret Morton and Ann Wooton.
- “Mary, Mary” – a solo by Sandra Marshall.
- Piano Duet by Senga and Brian Booth – “In a Country Garden”.
- David Potter (representing the Bible Study/Reading Group) presents a Bothy Ballad – “Princie and Jean”.
- Brian Booth tells “A Monk’s Tale”.
- A solo, “Sing Me To Sleep” by Ann Mitchell.
- Recitation by Irene Wood – “How Angus Went to Heaven”.
- A selection of songs from “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” by the St. John’s Church Choir.
- Finale – The Whole Company sing “We’ll Meet Again”‘.
- Closing words by Rev Nicola Frail.
The Advent season saw a number of new features introduced. Poinsettias were available for purchase with each plant dedicated to an individual. The plants decorated the Church until Christmas Eve when they were distributed to their new owners. Also new for 2008 was a short Christmas morning service which was held at 10am. Attendees were invited to bring along one of their presents – which they could take home again!
Looking back over the centenary year, St. John’s enjoyed concerts, demonstrations, an exhibition, a flower festival, a celebration of 125 years of the Boys’ Brigade, a visit by the Moderator of the General Assembly along with quite a number of other activities.
A very successful year with a magical ending as St. John’s senior elder and captain of the Boys’ Brigade was awarded special recognition….
2009
The new year started in style with a special award. In the 2009 New Years Honours List, St. John’s Boys’ Brigade leader, Captain John Methven was awarded an MBE for “voluntary service to the Boys’ Brigade in Kirkcaldy, Fife“. The award could not have gone to a nicer and more dedicated person. At the time of the award John had been associated with the brigade for 72 years.
Well done to John! And a great start to the year!
As part of Kirkcaldy Presbytery’s review of churches in the local area, a union between the congregations of St. John’s and St. Andrew’s Churches in Kirkcaldy was required to be formed during 2009.
Various meetings were held to keep the two congregations informed and the process continued for the remainder of the year.
Rev. Nicola Frail decided that a fresh start would be needed for the combined church so, after leading St. John’s for five years, informed the congregation that she would be leaving in mid-March.
At the end of January a special “Sponges or Scones” fundraising event was held in support of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution SOS Day: SOS – Sample our scones or sponges. Stalls and a raffle also entertained the many visitors.
At the service on 1st February, long service certificates were received by Janet Ferguson, Tom Harrow, Jack Jarvis and Mary Struthers. The certificates were signed by the Moderator, Rt Revd David W. Lunan, and were for more than 30 years service. Congratulations from all at St. John’s.
The Boys’ Brigade Cairn was topped out at the start of March with a short ceremony where four time capsules were inserted and sealed. These included items made by the boys and memories of the day.
On the 15th March, Rev Nicola Frail led her final service at St. John’s. After the service, a finger buffet was organised so that members of the congregation could say thank you for the five years together. Nicola was presented with a card from the Church organisations and a folder of pictures drawn by the children of the North Primary School.
Nicola has now moved to the parish of Ardler, Kettins and Meigle which is in rural Perthshire.
St. John’s services were now shared by an excellent selection of guest ministers. These included Rev. Graham Blount, Rev. Jack Gisby, Rev. Dr. Andrew Munro, Rev. Alex Fosyth, Rev. John Thomson, Rev. Ian Gordon, Rev. Bryan Tomlinson, Rev. Jim Dick, Rev. Leslie Barrett and Rev. Peter Elston.
March saw a concert by The East Fife Ladies Choir hosted by the Guild. This well attended event offered a wide range of music from the 40 strong choir with refreshments available in the Methven Hall.
The Get-Together annual Tea Afternoon in April supported the Fife Society for the Blind.
Christian Aid week in May was marked by our special Soup and Sweet Lunch held after the morning service.
At the end of the month a Photo Book was published which reviewed the centenary year in pictures. Many images from the special events and the people involved provided a great reminder of the celebration.
The annual Guild/Get-Together bus trip was again held in May. Over forty members headed off in a big bus and visited Dobbies Garden Centre in Perth, Crieff High Street and finished with a meal at Freuchie.
The fundraising team held a very successful Big Quiz at the end of May with tables of four answering questions which got more difficult as the evening progressed! Over 50 people enjoyed a great Saturday Night out!
The Boys’ Brigade attended an Activity Weekend at the start of June at the National Centre, Inverclyde. It was designed to be a large adventure weekend for boys and included a varied selection of water sports.
The Strawberry Tea season got off to a great start with one of the warmest weekends of the year. Over 100 enjoyed the strawberries in the church grounds.
At the end of June a new Walking Group was formed. Leaving from the church in shared cars, the first walk was around Silverburn in Leven and was enjoyed by all the walkers, although the weather was a bit damp!
For the second year running a sponsored walk around Beveridge Park was held with proceeds going to Christian Aid.
At Holyrood Palace on the 30th June, John Methven received his MBE for services to the Boys’ Brigade, see picture on the left.
John has written a report on the celebrations held for the 125th anniversary.
The 5th July saw an increase in the church outreach programme with new short services being held at the Bennochy Lodge Nursing Home at regular intervals.
The second Walking Group event circled Kinghorn and included a visit to the to the Ecology Centre.
In August, the 20th Kirkcaldy Brownie Pack, which had met at St. John’s since 1934, was merged with the St. Andrew’s Church Brownie Pack with all meetings being held at St. Andrew’s Church Hall.
The Taekwondo Club hosted the 2009 European WTTU Camp at Kirkcaldy High School during the second week of August with students flying in from all over Europe joining instructors from America. During the week a series of workouts and seminars were held with a special Tournament closing the meeting on the final Saturday.
On a very windy day in October the Walking Group enjoyed a Mystery History Walk led by Bob Docherty. A minibus was provided for the large number of walkers who secretly made their way to St. Andrews. Lunch was taken at the University.
The Guild’s 80th birthday was celebrated with a special dedication service on 1st November with Guild members participating in the service. Afterwards, a special cake was unveiled to mark the occasion.
The Christmas Fayre was the usual great success with a large number of home baked items and jams for sale including a vast amount of bric-a-brac.
This years Christmas celebrations got off to a fine start with a nativity play performed by the Children of the North Primary School led by their own choir. The Salvation Army were also present to collect the many gifts donated by the congregation to needy children in Kirkcaldy.
2010
The Union of St. John’s and St. Andrew’s Churches moved a step closer at the start of the year with the visit of Church of Scotland arbiters on the 27th January. At a special meeting held at St. Bryce Kirk, the buildings of St. John’s were chosen for the sole place of worship for the new Bennochy Parish Church of Scotland.
A special Homelessness Sunday service was held at the end of January with a soup and Shepherds Pie lunch being provided. The Worship Committee led the service with contributions from the Bethany Christian Trust and a drama group from Kirkcaldy High School. Food left over was taken to a local hostel for homeless people and was gratefully received. Additionally, a sponsored Sofa-Surf realised an amazing £378 which was split between Scottish Churches Housing Action and The Bethany Christian Trust.
At the end of February two special fundraising events took place. Firstly a Scotland wide Souper Sunday soup lunch in the Methven Hall raised over £400 for HIV/Aids work via the Church of Scotland and the annual RNLI SOS tea afternoon raised over £700 for this vital service.
In March 2010, the St. John’s congregation formed a union with St. Andrew’s Parish Church to become the new Bennochy Parish Church which used the new St. John’s buildings.
If you would like to read more about the life of the Church, we have a copy of all the magazines from 1950 to 2009 on our Echoes Magazine page.
Acknowledgements
This history of St. John’s was based on the works of Mary Sherrard and other contributors, most of which was originally published in 2002.