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Meadowside St Paul's' church was formed by the union of St Paul's and Meadowside on 4 December 1981. St Paul's as it was in 1981 was formed by the union of St Paul's and Tay Square on 4 July 1952. Tay Square as it was in 1952 was formed by the union of Tay Square and Hawkhill on 22 March 1903. Meadowside was formed by the union of Albert Square and St George's on 5 March 1955. St George's was formed by the union of Chapelshade United Free and St Andrew's United Free on 12 January 1916. Meadowside St Paul's church is in the Presbytery of Dundee, which was in the synod of Angus and Mearns until the abolition of synods in 1992.
Mariners', St Paul's: The Dundee Seamen's Friends' Society was formed in 1838 to care for the spiritual interests of sailors. Following the Disruption in 1843 money was subscribed to build a Free Church and hall in Reform Street which was called Mariner's church. This building was temporarily used as a place of worship by Dundee (St Mary's) following the fire which destroyed three of the Burgh Churches in 1841. During 1847 and 1848 a missionary to seamen was appointed and Mariner's church permitted to become an ordinary pastoral charge. As a result the Reform Street church building was leased to the newly sanctioned pastoral charge until 1852 when the congregation moved to St Paul's in Nethergate and the former premises sold to the Evangelical Union. St Paul's' congregation operated a mission from 1848 and from 1876- 1881 this mission functioned independently as Wilson Church.
Tay Square: Following a schism in the School Wynd congregation in 1832 a new United Associate Presbyterian congregation was formed. The new congregation initially worshipped in the Caledonian Hall before moving to Thistle Hall, Union Street. The church in Tay Square was opened in 1834 to house them. Missionary activities led by Tay Square church led to the founding of Hawkhill United Presbyterian church in 1876. Officially known as the Third United Secession Congregation Dundee, the congregation became known as Tay Square United Secession and later became Tay Square United Presbyterian church in 1847 and Tay Square United Free church in 1900.
Hawkhill: The origin of Hawkhill church was a mission in West Port led by Tay Square United Presbyterian church. The missionary station was erected into a congregation in 1871and the first minister of West Port United Presbyterian Mission Church was ordained in 1876. In 1878 the mission church became known as Hawkhill United Presbyterian Church and the congregation met in the former premises of Martyr's Church from 1878. The church, built in 1855 for the Reformed Presbyterians, had passed to the Free Church at the union of 1876. Hawkhill United Presbyterian became Hawkhill United Free Church in 1900 and amalgamated with Tay Square in 1903. Tay SquareTay Square church was the place of worship for the newly amalgamated charge of Tay Square United Free after 1903. Tay Square United Free became Tay Square church in 1929.
St Paul's: Following the union in 1952 of St Paul's and Tay Square, St Paul's church continued to be used as the place of worship whereas Tay Square was converted into halls.
Meadowside: Meadowside was formed by the union of Albert Square and St George's on 5 March 1955. St George's church was retained as the place of worship and the new congregation was initially called Albert Square and St George's. Albert Square church was converted into a church hall in 1956.
St George's: St George's was formed by the union of Chapelshade United Free and St Andrew's United Free on 12 January 1916 and henceforth known as St Andrew's and Chapelshade United Free. St Andrew's church in Meadowside was used as the place of worship and the Chapelshade manse was retained. The congregation's name changed to St George's at the union in 1929.
St Andrew's Free and United Free: Following the Disruption of 1843 a church in Meadowside was opened in 1845 to house the Seceders from St Andrew's church. This congregation was St Andrew's Free and became St Andrew's United Free in 1900.
Chapelshade Free and United Free: The majority of Chapelshade church seceded at the Disruption in 1843. Initially worshipping in Lindsay Street Chapel the Chapelshade Free congregation moved into their own church which opened in 1848. Chapelshade Free church became Chapelshade United Free in 1900.
Gaelic Free, Albert Square Free and United Free: The Church of Scotland church in Long Wynd, formerly Seres Wynd, opened in 1791. A fund towards the erection of a new Gaelic chapel was begun in 1835 and the building completed in the early 1840's. Following the fire in 1841 which destroyed the Burgh Churches the Town Council bought this new building to house St Johns' (Cross) congregation. The Long Wynd congregation therefore continued to meet in the former premises and most of the congregation came out at the Disruption in 1843. The charge was reduced to a station and resumed full status in 1854. In 1854 the Gaelic Free church were meeting in Lindsay Street Hall and in 1855 moved to a Secession chapel in Meadowside. A new church was opened in 1869 for the congregation which was then called Albert Square Free church. The church became Albert Square United Free from 1900 and Albert Square from 1929.
Meadowside St Paul's: Following the union of St Paul's and Meadowside in 1981 the congregation used the St Paul's buildings to worship and to meet and the Meadowside buildings were sold.
Each congregation of the Church of Scotland has a Kirk Session, which comprises the minister(s) and the ruling elders, all members of the Session (including the minister) being elders. The elders' duty is care for the spiritual needs of the congregation; each of them has a district of the parish assigned to him/her. The Kirk Session determines the number of elders. The minister is moderator of the Session, and there is a clerk who has custody of all the Session's records. There may also be a treasurer, and an officer or beadle. The Session must have maintained a communion roll, containing the names and addresses of the communicant church members within the parish.
The Kirk Session's duties are to maintain good order amongst its congregation (including administering discipline and superintending the moral and religious condition of the parish), and to implement the Acts of the General Assembly. The Kirk Session is at the base of the pyramid of church courts, and it is subject to the review of the Presbytery in which it is situated, and to the superior courts of the Church. Each Kirk Session elects one of its number to represent it at the Presbytery (and formerly at the Synod).
Into the 19th century, there used to be weekly collections made for the support of the poor, but as the state began to assume responsibility for their support (by means of taxation) so funds collected from communicants might be directed to special schemes (eg support of missionaries), more recently through a weekly freewill offering scheme. Seat or pew rents were also quite common (money paid for a fixed seat in a church), but declined rapidly from the 1950s. Many congregations now have a congregational board, which monitors income and expenditure. Former Free Church congregations often had Deacons' Courts, which had responsibility for the whole property of the congregation, and had to apply spiritual principles in the conduct of their affairs. |