Hello and welcome to the Dalbeattie & Kirkgunzeon Parish Church website.
After another very strange year, which saw us yet again out of the Church and worshipping online, we seemed to accept it fairly well, but to be honest there is something very comforting and special about worshipping in our church building.
It was with great delight that we were able to return to our building for Easter and have continued to worship in it since.
It has of course been a strange year again with all the regulations still in force for COVID, but it is better to follow the guidelines and keep safe. It is maybe not the most comfortable sitting with a mask on, but still necessary. However, we are now able to sing and that has pleased so many people and it feels more like worship, even if it is behind a mask.
Our choir has been missing their weekly contribution to the services, but Rory has now started choir practise once again and the choir did sing at our Communion Service. Our choir is low in number, so if you can sing and would like to join it, you will be made most welcome.
Rory as always, accompanies and leads us in our praise on a Sunday morning. We are so blessed to have such an accomplished young organist and choir master. I should add, he is our youngest Elder on Session.
We were fortunate to be able to decorate the church for Harvest Thanksgiving and the church looked lovely at Remembrance with all the windows decorated with poppies. Christmas will see the ladies busy once again and as always, the Church will be very Festive and beautiful.
The décor changes with the seasons with a great team of people who are willing to give up their time to decorate, but the one thing that never changes is the welcome you will receive on visiting us.
We continue to work hard to keep our church in the centre of the community. We are supporters of the local foodbank, to which our parishioners donate generously.
Part of the local Churches together, we are hoping as restrictions ease, we will be able to meet for our ecumenical services once again.
We will continue our faith journey and welcome all who come to us.
Walk gently with Lord,
Rev Fiona Wilson, Minister
Posted: 20 Nov 2021
Buying a light for the Tree of Heaven this year: If you have not received a leaflet & star, extra stars can be picked up from Bryan Gowans, McCowan & Son or Dalbeattie Bookshop . Write the loved one’s name on the star and hand it in to one of the above locations with your donation. (Cheques payable to Dalbeattie & Kirkgunzeon Parish Church) The stars will be displayed as usual inside the Parish Church and the tree will be lit for Advent in the grounds of the church.
Posted: 18 Nov 2021
Sunday 28 November till Sunday 26 December . Thank you for your help Items required : Cont/..
will be held in Dalbeattie & Kirkgunzeon Church at 6.30 pm
will be held in Dalbeattie & Kirkgunzeon Church at 6.30 pm
will be held at 11.30 pm
With the arrival of vaccinations and with an easing of restrictions we are starting to return to something approaching normal, although there are still some strange rules, such as the wearing of masks during services, which mean we are still a considerable way from “normality”.
We are obviously not raising as much as money as we normally would have over the last eighteen months and we are losing money on a monthly basis with our costs remaining the same. Consequently, as a Kirk Session, we have taken the difficult decision that we will start to use the Church Centre for Sunday Service from Sunday, 10th October.
We will use the Church for Service once a month – this is to comply with the conditions laid down in our Building Insurance. We will keep you well informed as to where our Services will be held. We hope that we will be able to make savings by not having the heating on in the Church. It will be less expensive to heat the Church Centre and we will closely monitor the situation to ensure that we are indeed making savings.
Gordon Cathro
Session Clerk
Dalbeattie Parish Church was opened on its current site in 1880 and the Church Centre was completed in early 1990s.
The Church serves the local community and provides a focus for doing God's work.
Click here for the history.
Kirkgunzeon Church is a lovely little Church and sits in the middle of the village. In October the decision was made to close Kirkgunzeon Church and unite with Dalbeattie Church where the services are now held.
Where the present building stands has been a sacred place dating back to around 1100s. If you are interested in the history click here
Urr is a beautiful rural church, adjacent to the village of Haugh of Urr, in the valley of the River Urr. There has been a church on this site since 1606. The present building was opened in 1915 and through its history has been the centre of Christian service to the local community.
If you want to know more about Urr Church History, click here.
