Skene Parish Church facts for kids
Kingshill Parish Church is a group of people who worship together as part of the Church of Scotland. It is located in Skene, a place in Scotland. This church belongs to the Presbytery of North East and Northern Isles.
The Kingshill Parish has two main places where people meet for worship. These are Skene Church in Kirkton of Skene and Trinity Church in Westhill. Currently, the church is looking for a new minister to lead their services.
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Skene Church: A Look at Its History
Early Beginnings of Skene Church
The first time we hear about a church in Skene was in 1296. A person named Patrick of Skene signed a document as the "Clericus of Skene," which means "Clerk of Skene." This early church building was located near an old Roman road. This road went from Normandykes to Donside. Records from the Skene Kirk Session (a local church council) started in 1676. A church building from the 1600s stood where the current Skene Church is today.
The 1801 Building and Its Changes
The Skene Church building you see now was built in 1801. It was a simple, rectangular building. The pulpit, where the minister speaks, was in the middle of the south wall. This meant people sat to the left and right of the minister. A balcony, called a gallery, went around the other three walls. There were also doors on each of the end walls.
In 1932, the inside of the church was completely updated. The special area for worship, called the sanctuary, was moved to the east wall. The door on that wall was then closed off. The old gallery was replaced with a smaller one on the west wall. Following new ideas for Scottish church design, the communion table became the main focus. The pulpit was placed to its left. Outside the west door, there is an interesting old object called a mortsafe. This was used long ago to protect graves.
Church Reunions and Mission Work
After a big event in 1843 called the disruption of 1843, a new Free Church was built near Kirkton. This Free Church congregation later joined back with Skene parish in 1941. The old Free Church building was then used as a blacksmith's workshop. In 1872, the church also built a mission hall in Lyne of Skene. They used this hall until 1970.
Trinity Church: A Modern Partnership
Building a Church Together
Trinity Church in Westhill is a special project. It brings together three different Christian groups: the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. This is why it is called "Trinity Church," because "Trinity" means three. It shows how these three groups work together.
Flexible Space and Future Plans
This church building was first built in 1981. It was made bigger in 2003. It is a "hall church," which means it has chairs that can be moved. This makes the space very flexible for different uses. The 2003 addition created a second hall. This allows two different church services to happen at the same time. The new part of the building is mostly used by the Sunday School during worship. As of August 2025, work has started on building a new church. This new building will be for the Scottish Episcopal congregation in Westhill.
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