1964 (Part 1)

The chimes which ground to a halt at the beginning of 1963 were reinstated thanks to the efforts of the minister and Mr H. Alexander, and a donation of a new Brenell tape-recorder and microphone from Rev. T.B. Girdwood and his church, Shawlands Cross. Donations were also received from the Woman's Guild(£20), the Choir(£10), the Sunday School(£10), the Men's Association(£5),the Young Mothers(£3) and the Girls'Guildry(£1 10s).


The Stated Annual General Meeting of the church was held in the church hall on Friday, 21st February and the tickets cost 1 shilling. There were musical items and tea was served. “All church members were expected to be present”.


Another £1000 of the debt on the church was repaid, leaving £6000 still to repay.


Matthew Hewitt (12) was thanked via the church magazine for watering all the plants on the staircase to the church every Sunday for over a year.


The Young Mothers' Group provided curtains for the stage in the church hall.


The church choir gave concerts in churches all over Glasgow, but due to movement from the district now appealed for new members.

Mr Harry Ritchie of Carmunnock Road took photos for the church magazine.

The new multi-storey flats on Dougrie Road were completed, and certain newspaper journalists coined the names “Concrete Castles” and “Leaning Towers of Castlemilk” for them. “With their up-to-date design and living facilities they usher in the space-age look to the scheme. Lucky are the families who land for one of the new flats. Lucky are those with the promise of a seventh heaven on the fourteenth floor. Not surprising if they should feel “up in the clouds” with joy to be handed the key to a dream house.”

Copies of the “The Gist “, a newspaper specially printed by an Edinburgh newspaper, giving a full report of the General Assembly were available in the church, one free to every family.


With the arrival of the new skyscraper flats on Dougrie Road the circulation of the church magazine was almost 3,250.


The four Protestant churches serving Castlemilk were able to use the swimming pool in St Margaret Mary's School on Dougrie Road, and the Junior Bible Class and Senior Sunday School went on one Thursday each month.


Mr Alex McLachlan died. He had served on the Congregational Board and then became an elder in 1959 and Clerk to the Board. He had been both Secretary and President of the Men's Association, and was also interested in the football team.


Mr William Robertson resigned as “Skipper” of the B.B. Company after four years. His successor as Captain was Mr David Carrick of Arnprior Road, who had been an officer for some time and a member since the Company's formation eight years previously.


Mr John McKenzie, who had worked so hard to establish the Pipe Band, moved away and a new trainer was needed. Meanwhile the band were practising with another Company.


Mr Alex. Miller of Dougrie Terrace resigned as Leader of the Life Boys. He had been an officer since the beginning and Leader for four years. Miss Margaret Morton of Glenacre Quadrant took over.


For two years some of the older Life Boys were calling at houses when required and doing odd jobs or running errands. Sometimes they just dropped in for a chat with old people living alone.


The three tea ladies, Mrs C. Millar, Mrs E. Caird and Mrs A. Gray received table lamps from the Committee and Young Mothers' Group.


Anyone who did not have a Co-op number in Glasgow Co-op Society (South) could use the number G.S. 10 and the dividend went to the credit of the Community Centre

The Junior Bible Class met every Sunday at 11.30a.m. and the Leader was Mr T. McEwan.