Draft:Dowanvale Free Church of Scotland

Dowanvale Free Church of Scotland is a large congregation of the Free Church of Scotland, located in the Partick area, in western Glasgow.

History
Founded in 1912 (although attempts had begun in 1905), the Church holds a commanding position on the corner of Dowanhill Street and Chancellor Street. The Church was formed in the aftermath of the union between the United Presbyterian Church (Scotland) and the Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), as the former Partick Gaelic Free Church had entered said Union, becoming Partick Gaelic United Free Church, latterly Gardner Street Church of Scotland.

The Church, then known as the Highland Mission, initially met in a variety of rented buildings, including the Forresters' Hall (Dumbarton Road, Partick), and the Subway Hall (also Dumbarton Road) and an 'iron' Church (Highburgh Road) until 1926. During the ministry of the Rev. Murdo Campbell (1934 - 1951), the Church purchased the redundant Partick Dowanvale Church building (where it remains to this day), made redundant from a merger of that congregation with Partick 'High' Church of Scotland in 1936. The Church was subsequently named Partick Highland Free Church. In the year 2000 Partick Highland united with a number of local congregations to form Dowanvale Free Church.

The building is a "rectangular-plan gable-ended Gothic church", built in 1880 to a design by Alexander Petrie. Petrie, who died in 1906, was noted for designing Board schools, alongside United Presbyterian and Free Churches.

Early days
The first man to be called to the Ministry of what is now Dowanvale Free Church was the Rev. Peter M. Chrisholm. His ministry at the Highland Mission (1924-1934) was followed by a ministry in Lochalsh. Chrisholm had been a minister in the Free Presbyterian Church before transferring to the Free Church.

Following Mr Chisholm came the Rev. Murdo Campbell, who oversaw the move from temporary buildings to the present day Church, and the change of name to Partick Highland Free Church. He was minister from 1934 - 1951, before accepting a call to Resolis. His ministry was followed by the Rev. Malcolm Morrison (1954 - 1970).

Donald Macleod
Mr Morrison's successor as Minister of Partick Highland Free Church was the Rev. (later Professor) Donald Macleod, who ministered there between 1970 and 1978. Mr Macleod arrived at Partick Highland as a young man and remained there until moving to Edinburgh to teach (and later become Principal of) the Edinburgh Theological Seminary (then known as the Free Church College).

Recent years to date
Following Mr Macleod came the Rev. John A. Gillies, and others. From 2001 to 2011 the Church's Minister was the Rev. Kenneth Stewart, who demitted his office and moved to the Reformed Presbyterian Church when the Free Church agreed to the use of hymns and instruments in worship. In 2010 the Church was noted as the first in the denomination to use live-streaming technology to allow another Church to stream their services of worship. The congregation has been served since 2012 by the Rev. Kenny Macleod, who was joined in 2023 the Rev. Iain Morrison serving as Assistant Minister. In 2023 it was noted that the Solicitor General, Ruth Charteris KC, is a member of Dowanvale Free Church.

Students' and Young Workers' Bible Study
Since early 2024, meeting at the Assistant Minister's flat, a group of ~25 students and young people have been meeting for a Bible Study.

Tot Tots Toddler Group
Tuesday morning sees the Church run a toddler group, attended by around 20 children and their parents or carers. This group was run by the Church's Women and Families Worker, but since her departure has been run by a group of Church volunteers.

Partick Pantry (Food Bank)
In 2020, in response to local food poverty, Dowanvale Free Church launched the 'Partick Pantry'. Working with and supported by numerous local charities and businesses, the Pantry offers food parcels and support to local residents in need.

Glasgow International Conversations
Every Thursday evening the Church runs Glasgow International Conversations, a place "for international students to start friendships with one another and with local Glasgow residents who are part of the church in Partick."

Men's Breakfast
Once a month, the Church hosts a Saturday morning breakfast for the men of the congregation, and any visitors. Alongside the breakfast, there is a speaker who either speaks on a Bible passage or ministry he is connected with.

Gaelic worship
As with many other Free Churches, the worship at Partick Highland was in both Gaelic and English. The pattern at Partick Highland until 1972, for example, was to hold an English service in the morning, and Gaelic services at 2.30pm and 6.30pm. The 2.30pm service was for the convenience domestic workers, although by this point the need for a 'Servants' Service' had all but died out. It was at Mr Macleod's insistence that this pattern was changed. Under his ministry the 2.30pm service was discontinued, the evening service moved to English, and the Gaelic service followed at 7.45pm. This pattern continued until 1983 when the evening Gaelic service was discontinued. Writing of his own experience, Macaskill notes that Partick Highland FC was "explicitly associated with the Lewis exiles and Grant Street Free Church [a nearby Free Church] with Skye exiles."

The predominance of Gaelic-speakers in the Church is notable from the fact that, until 1975, there was not a weekly English prayer meeting, but was a well attended Gaelic medium prayer meeting.

As Macdonald explains, "in the days when whole tenements in Partick were occupied by Gaelic speakers... Partick Highland held separate English and Gaelic communion services co-temporaneously in the Church and Church hall but when attendances at the Gaelic [service] declined to forty communicants, the Gaelic table was discontinued." The present minister is a native Gaelic speaker but at present no solely Gaelic services are held.

Lord's Day Worship
Dowanvale Free Church's worship follows a simple, Reformed, pattern, where the high point of every service is the sermon, where God's Word is preached. Since 2011, when the Free Church of Scotland first allowed hymns and simple musical accompaniment in its worship, Dowanvale's Sunday services usually includes two hymns or worship songs accompanied by a piano, and two metrical Psalms, sung in the traditional Scottish form. Psalms are sung from the Scottish Psalter or from the newer Sing Psalms translation. The congregation has a number of Precentors who lead the Psalm singing, and two pianists who accompany hymn singing.