A prominent Dundee church will close its doors for the last time this weekend but the congregation hope it will not be long before they can worship in a new £1.6 million building on the site.
Craigiebank Parish Church, overlooking the roundabout at the junction of Greendykes Road and Craigie Avenue, is holding its final service on Sunday before the chronically damp structure is demolished.
The congregation has mounted a campaign to raise £1.6 million to replace it with a multi-function space for community use in a project entitled the Circle at Craigiebank.
Planning permission was granted 18 months ago and, after resolving site ownership issues, the church is ready to move forward with its ambitious rebuilding programme.
The church was built 75 years ago but suffers from such serious dampness and other maintenance problems that it is uneconomic to upgrade. Demolition and rebuilding is the only viable solution.
The Craigiebank Association has been pursuing a funding strategy and hopes to raise the money needed through a combination of grants, fundraisers and donations.
Association chairman Gary Miller admitted it is a bold project for a small community but it is also a very exciting one that would make a huge difference to the local community in the future.
He hopes everyone in the area will support the project and get involved in raising funds to help.
The congregation decanted to the hall at the rear of the site last summer but are returning for the decommissioning service on Sunday to mark the end of the old era and the start of the new.
Craigiebank minister the Rev Edith McMillan, said: “Everyone in the community is warmly invited to attend the service, especially those who were married or baptised in the church, or who have attended any of the church organisations at any time in the past.
“Although we want to celebrate all the wonderful times that people have had at Craigiebank, we also want to look to the future with confidence as the Craigiebank congregation will continue to hold its services in the large hall just as we did before the present sanctuary was opened in 1938.”
Sunday’s service will be part of a summer fair from Friday to Sunday to celebrate the history of the building from the laying of the foundation stone in 1937 until now, as well as look to the future.
An exhibition will be staged throughout the weekend of stories, photos and memorabilia from the life of the church and its organisations. The church says it will be a time for people to get together to share their memories adding it is not too late for contributions of material.