Update on the Vacancy: December 1, 2024

Our Nominating Committee have been working very hard over the last two months and the end result is that as of Saturday, November 30, they asked a minister to preach as sole nominee for Houston & Killellan Kirk linked with Langbank Church.

The Rev Steven Owens will be preaching as sole nominee on Sunday, December 22, 2024 at both Langbank Church at 9.45am and Houston & Killellan Kirk at 11.15am.

Following the worship services every person who is on the electoral register will be asked to vote yes or no. The Langbank votes will be brought up to Houston and mixed with ours and independent tellers will count the voting papers.

If the vast majority of people vote in favour, Steven will give us his reply.

However, if the vote goes against for any reason then we start the vacancy process over again.

At this point we would like to point out that the Nominating Committee are representatives of our church members and if they like Steven and think he will be good for our church then we expect to have a favourable outcome.

If the vote is in favour, we hope to have the induction no later than the end of January, once I have worked my way through the mountain of paperwork and deadlines that must be met.

Our grateful thanks go to the Nominating Committee: Matthew Alexander, Stephanie Bell, Evelyn Cook, George Colquhoun, John Currie, Ian Griffiths, Laura McKee, Kirsty Miller, Ken Muir, Johnathan Waugh and from Langbank David Steele, Ori Hughes and Margaret McDonald for their time, commitment and discernment.

Update on the Vacancy: November 22, 2024

It has been 10 months since Gary left Houston & Killellan Kirk to take up his new charge in America and, in true Church of Scotland fashion, things might appear to have moved at a very slow pace; in fact, we have been a lot quicker in getting to where we are than many other churches!

When something takes time, it provides us with an opportunity to reflect, to identify areas where we can make changes and improve – and that is what our Kirk Session have been doing during this time.

The congregation and members of Houston & Killellan Kirk have all played a big part already. Together, you voted to form a linkage with Langbank Church, and you also voted on the membership of your Nominating Committee. Hopefully you will soon be voting on who your new minister will be.

The Nominating Committee have been working exceptionally hard and we would like to thank them for everything they have done so far.

There were a number of applications for the vacancy, and the Nominating Committee are now at the shortlisting and interview stage. If any of the applicants are suitable, there is an extensive list of formalities to go through. First, they will need to preach on a Sunday that is suitable for both churches and fits in with the church calendar. When this day comes it would be good to see as many of you as possible at the service so that you can vote in favour or against after hearing them preach.

It is worth noting that, while you are free to vote as you choose, the Nominating Committee have done a great deal of work in the background to identify an individual they believe is best suited to lead both Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church forward.

The nominee will preach at Langbank Church at 9.45am and then at Houston & Killellan Kirk at 11.15am. Langbank’s voting papers will be brought to Houston & Killellan Kirk and mixed in with our voting papers.

If the vote is in favour, it is then up to the minister to decide whether they wish to accept. This is not a given, as this will likely have been their first introduction to both congregations and they may decide that it is not the right fit for them.

However, if they agree to be our minister, there are some additional steps to complete, but it is all systems go!

Update on the Vacancy: August 25, 2024

As many of you will be aware, a Congregational Meeting was held after worship on Sunday, 25th August, to elect a Nominating Committee to look for our new minister.

At Houston & Killellan Kirk, 12 nominations were received and after voting the following people were elected to the Committee: Matthew Alexander, Stephanie Bell, Evelyn Cook, George Colquhoun, John Currie, Ian Griffiths, Laura McKee, Kirsty Miller, Kenn Muir and Johnathan Waugh, with Ian Jackson and Maggie Deans as reserves.

The same process took place at Langbank Church, where David Steele, Ori Hughes and Margaret McDonald were elected to the Nominating Committee, with Ruby Hamilton as reserve. The Committee have already had their first meeting with the Vacancy Advisory Committee and we wish them every success in their endeavours. Please note that the Nominating Committee’s discussions are private and they will only be able to update us when they can.

Update on the Vacancy: August 18, 2024

Both Kirk Sessions of Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church have voted in favour of departing from the historic and current practice of the Church of Scotland, in order to permit the ordination or induction of a minister who is in a civil partnership or same-sex marriage. As such we are “D” Status.

Update on the Vacancy: July 26, 2024

As the vacancy process progresses, the congregation will be asked to vote on the new minister after they preach in church. This vote is only open to church members and adherents, so it is very important that our Congregational Roll is up to date to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote can do so.

If you are not currently a member or an adherent, or you know of anyone in the congregation who is not a member or an adherent who would wish to be involved in the process with the right to vote, please contact our Session Clerk, Helen Dunn, at hmdunn18@gmail.com or Deputy Session Clerk, Matthew Alexander, at matthewalexand@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Update on the Vacancy: June 30, 2024

We are pleased to report that the result of the Congregational Vote on the linkage with Langbank Church, was as follows: 104 in favour and five against.

Langbank Church also voted on the same day and their result was that all are in favour.

The linkage will now proceed and the Service of Linkage will take place at Langbank Church on Tuesday 6th August at 7pm. It would be lovely to see as many of you as possible at this service.

Update on the Vacancy: June 18, 2024

The Congregational Vote on whether or not we wish to have a linkage with Langbank Church will take place at the end of Morning Worship on June 30 and there will be two options on the voting slip: for and against.

The congregation at Langbank Church will go through the same process on the same day.

If both churches vote for the linkage, it is then approved, and a date will be set for the Service of Linkage.

If either or both churches vote against the linkage, we will go back to the very beginning of the process and start over again. We will not be allowed to call a new minister until this process has been resolved.

Our Kirk Session believes that a linkage, rather than a union, is the better option for Houston & Killellan Kirk at the current time.

Please do not hesitate to contact our Interim Moderator, Rev Barbara Ann Sweetin, if you have any queries about this.

Update on the Vacancy: June 3, 2024

We are delighted to share with you the news that the proposed linkage with Langbank Church has now been approved in principal by the Presbytery Mission Plan Implementation Group (PMPIG).

This now needs to be ratified independently by the Kirk Sessions of both churches before the decision then goes to a congregational vote in both churches.

If both congregations vote in favour, then Presbytery will set a date for a Service of Linkage.

Presbytery will also form a Vacancy Advisory Committee who will come out and speak to both Kirk Sessions. Once that has happened we will be able to start the process of forming a Nominating Committee.

Update on the Vacancy: May 17, 2024

Unfortunately very little has changed in terms of being able to advertise for a new minister for Houston & Killellan Kirk at the present time.

We are still waiting on the Presbytery Mission Plan Implementation Group (PMPIG) at headquarters to confirm whether or not we can go ahead with a linkage with Langbank Church and, until that comes through, we are in limbo.

Our Interim Moderator, Rev Barbara Ann Sweetin, is trying her best to push things along, but the PMPIG committee only meet once a month and at the meeting in April they asked for more detail about why a linkage would be better than a union, which they have now been given.

One positive piece of news is that the manse has achieved a level ‘C’ for its energy efficiency rating. The rating was sitting at a ‘D’ and churches are not allowed to call a minister until it is at least a ‘C’ – so well done to the Property Team. There are still other works to be carried out, but it will soon be ready and attractive for a new minister and their family.

Update on the Vacancy: March 14, 2024

Last Sunday we announced that Presbytery had said that Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church needed to come to some sort of arrangement where we can work together.

The Kirk Sessions from both Houston & Killellan and Langbank met and agreed unanimously that we would like to become a linkage, so it would be Houston & Killellan Kirk linked with Langbank Church.

A linkage means that we still remain our own churches, with our own finances, our own buildings and so on – but the one thing we will share is a minister. That has some other, smaller, implications but these can all be sorted out in the finer detail.

Everybody on both Kirk Sessions had clearly thought the decision through and carefully considered the pros and cons.

We are hoping that Presbytery, and then 121 (Church of Scotland Headquarters), will also agree with us that a linkage is the best option going forward.

However, if Presbytery or 121 do not think that this change is for the best, they will come back to us and ask us to re-look at the whole structure again. Unfortunately, if that happens it takes more time, and that means we will be without a minister for a bit longer, because this decision has to be sorted out first.

Change affects us all in one way or another so I would ask you to think of everyone in both churches at the moment, to pray about this change, and to be open about it – because a change will happen.

Once the change is settled, Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church will probably work together on various things in the coming years and both congregations have strengths and talents we can share.

This is an exciting opportunity to spread God’s word and His mission in these areas, and further afield, by working together.

Update on the Vacancy: February 2024

Houston & Killellan Kirk is currently in what is known as a vacancy, which means that the church doesn’t have its own full-time minister and will need to advertise for a new one, once all the necessary boxes have been ticked and we are able to do so. Unfortunately, it is a long process, but we will keep you updated with what is happening.

At the moment there are two stumbling blocks: firstly, under the Presbytery plan for our area, Houston & Killellan Kirk will have to have either a union, or a linkage, with Langbank Church.

Discussions between the Kirk Sessions of both Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church are underway. Once both Sessions reach agreement – which may take some time – we will seek the views of all our Elders. Both Houston & Killellan Kirk and Langbank Church Sessions will vote on it before the matter goes to a congregational vote.

We will hold a meeting with the congregation ahead of that vote, to make sure that everybody understands what they are voting on, and what the outcome of the vote will mean for our church.

The second stumbling block is the Manse; all manses will soon be required to a minimum of a ‘C’ rating for energy efficiency and at present our Manse is a ‘D’. The good news is that work on the property can be carried out while we are resolving the first matter with Langbank Church.