|
Admin
history |
Dunfermline Gillespie United Presbyterian Church began under the ministry of Rev Thomas Gillespie, who along with a small group of ministers and elders from other churches, formed themselves into the 'Relief Presbytery'' in 1761. All seemed be fairly harmonious for this new group of worshippers for many years until Rev Gillespie found himself in conflict with some of the members of the congregation on various issues of principal. The strain clearly took its toll on Rev Gillespie, as in 1774 at the age of 65 he died. In 1847, Maygate Chapel congregation was without a minister and Rev Neil M'Michael, minister at Dunfermline Gillespie, moved his congregation to Maygate whilst a new church was being built. At a joint meeting of the Gillespie and Maygate congregations in 1848 it was unamimously declared that the two charges should unite under the ministry of Rev Professor Neil M'Michael and take the name of North Chapel Street congregation. The Presbytery gave their sanction to the union of the two charges and the building of a new church, which opened for worship on 4 November 1849. In 1900 when the Free and the United Presbyterian Churches united the congregation became know as Dunfermline Gillespie United Free Church, and in turn passed back to the Established Church in 1929 as Dunfermline Gillespie Church of Scotland, later Dunfermline Gillespie Memorial Church of Scotland. |