St.. Mungo’s, Balerno, Scotland.
Tucked away in the Village of Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, this is the Church where I first publicly confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. An evangelical church that drew, and still draws, people from across the denominational spectrum. The building above seats less than a hundred, so with a congregation of 150 the decision was made in the early 80s to meet in local schools. From 1984 the church had its main meetings in Balerno High School and subsequently grew to about 500. A text book case in church growth!
St.. Mungo’s, Balerno, Scotland.
A photo from the 1980s, showing a clear sign of the charismatic renewal of the times – the projector screen! The circular window to the top predated the renewal but was certainly prophetic: The Holy Spirit as a dove dive-bombing with fire!
Barvas Parish Church, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
It was at this church, on the Isle of Lewis, that Duncan Campbell started his mission in 1949, at the beginning of the Hebridean revival. Duncan Campbell described revival as “a community saturated with God”.
Former Highland Tolbooth, St. John’s Church, Edinburgh.
Originally built to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, it later became a parish church with both Gaelic and English services. It closed in 1979, and the building has found a new use as “The Hub”, the home of Edinburgh’s International Festival, and a cafe. It is typical of many closed city centre churches, whose demise is a complex mixture of causes: church decline, denominational merger, past over-building, decline of a language and depopulation of city centres.