About Us
Barclay Viewforth is a diverse congregation - from families who have worshipped in the church for many years to young professional workers, students and international students who become part of the congregation while staying in Edinburgh.
The 2009 annual report is now available (pdf).
The church building - opened for worship in 1864 as a congregation of the Free Church of Scotland was originally known as "The Barclay Church" after Mary Barclay whose legacy paid for its building - is located in Tollcross, about one-mile south of Edinburgh's West End. The parish stands in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle and adjacent to the Meadows.
Services are held on Sundays at 11am and 6:30pm. Strong, bible-based teaching is an important and integral part of each service. The morning service is fairly traditional with organ music and choir-led singing, while the evening service uses modern music and a more flexible order of worship.
There are activities for children aged 3-13 and a crèche at the morning service while a youth group (aged 14+) meets before the evening service. During the week a number of housegroups meet and there are small groups for students & young adults and older people.
We have been considering how we can best be a church which connects with people in the 21st century. The key characteristics we would seek to have as a church are:
biblical and purpose drivenWe believe that it is essential for us to be committed to Christian truth and driven by that purpose, clear about what we stand for and where we are going.
authentic and relationalOur aim would be to be a place where people will build authentic relationships both within and outside the church.
relevant and attractiveWe believe that we need to be a church which connects with real life and people.
flexible and informalWe need to be a church that is not overburdened with structure.
diverse and enablingOur aim is to allow and encourage individuals to develop and use their gifts.
The congregation's mission is '..making known God's love in Jesus Christ.'
BarclayViewforth Church is a congregation in the Presbytery of Edinburgh and part of the Church of Scotland.
