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Inverness High Church, or First Charge, was initially dedicated to St. Columba in early times. In 1618 the parishes of Inverness and Bona were united, but the congregations worshipped in separate churches. The first minister recorded at the High Church began his ministry at the time of the Reformation in 1560. At the Disruption of 1843 a number of the congregation adhered to the Free Church and formed themselves into a congregation. Initially the congregation worshipped in a Wesleyan Methodist Church, moving to Bell's School sometime later, before a new church was built in 1843. Inverness High Free Church, for a time referred to as the English congregation, ordained their first minister, Rev. Joseph Thorburn in 1844. The charge passed successively to the United Free Church in 1900, and to the Established Church in 1929 as Inverness St Columba High Church of Scotland. Around the year 2010 a considerable amount of new housing was built in west Inverness and to accommodate this growth it was decided to sell the St Columba High Church building and use the proceeds to build a new one under the New Charge Development scheme. Some time later, the charge was brought up to full status and the name changed from, the rather wordy, 'Inverness, St Columba Church of Scotland New Charge' to the simpler name of 'Inverness, St Columba Church of Scotland'. This new congregation had its roots in the old charge and many of the existing members moved with it and joined in worship with new members who came as a result of the new housing. |