1965 (Part 1)

The new Assistant minister, Mr Donald Stuart arrived. He had been a missionary in West Africa, a chaplain in the Merchant Navy and the Director of the European Missionary Crusade.


Eight young people under training in the Bible Training Institute in Bothwell Street came to work in Castlemilk West.


A set of china was presented to the church for use at special functions by five ladies, Mrs Dool, Mrs Carrick, Mrs Liddell, Mrs McKay and Mrs McGregor, all grannies who had a weekly work party.


A group of Sunday School teachers went on a week-end conference to Gean House, Alloa, in February.


On the last Sundays in February, March and April the evening services were conducted by the Woman's Guild, the Youth Fellowship and the Men's Association respectively. Mr Jack Barnard preached the sermon for the Y.F., Mrs Mitchell for the Woman's Guild and Mr Alex. Erskine for the Men's Association.


The Garden Fête on the 29th May was opened by the well-known newspaper columnist and television personality, Mr Jack House, who also crowned the queen, Kathleen Hill of Arnprior Road. Her attendants were Ann McKechnie of Downcraig Road, and Sadie Strachan of Birgidale Road.


On Sunday evenings during the summer months as many as twenty of the Youth Fellowship met in the manse, where Mrs Millar, the minister's wife looked after them.


Mr Bert Grant of Raithburn Road, became the President of the Men's Association, and Mr Harry Grant became the new Secretary.


“At this time the Social Service of the Church was the largest and most varied of its kind in Scotland, and it was available to all, irrespective of class, creed or colour.” There were 31 Eventide Homes, situated in nearly every part of Scotland, three of them in Glasgow. The homes catered for over 1,000 old folk, whose average age was in the mid-eighties, and several of them over the 100 mark, the first home being opened in Glasgow in 1918. There were eight homes for children, two of them in Glasgow. The Church of Scotland was a recognised Adoption Agency, 177 babies being placed for adoption in 1963. Among other Homes run by the Church there were five hostels for Working Lads, three hostels for Young Women, two Approved Schools for Girls, one Approved School for Boys, a Mother and Baby Home in Glasgow, a hostel for Epileptic Lads in Glasgow,two holiday homes in Kinghorn, Fife, a Rehabilitation Hostel for Women in Glasgow and a Rehabilitation Centre for Men in Glasgow. The Church also ran a Home-Help Service, with centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In January a day centre for Old People was opened in Edinburgh, where about 25 old men and women who were left alone all day would be able to spend the day in warm and comfortable surroundings and get a midday meal. The Church employed over 400 people on a full-time basis and many more part-time in its social work.


Miss McClue, the Guardian of 44a Company of the Girls' Guildry left to get married. She had been with the Guildry in Castlemilk since 1956 and Guardian for about seven years. She was a member of Croftfoot United Free Church.


Miss Isobel Donaldson, Guardian of 44b Company of the Girls'Guildry had to give up due to pressure of business. She had been guardian for about 2½ years. The new Guardian of 44b Company was Miss Betty Aitken, who had been an Assistant for several years and was already Guardian of the Guildry Company in Hutchesontown Parish Church.

The Boys'Brigade Company had their first camp abroad, in Belgium, on the Ostend coast during the Fair Fortnight.


Miss Lesley McNair, who used to teach in Castleton Sunday School came home on furlough from her missionary station at Chitambo, Northern Rhodesia.


In April, a new Hammond organ, Model R.T.3, was bought and installed in the church, as the Selmer which the Woman's Guild had “so zealously worked for”, was now “more or less a write-off”, and was destroying “the dignity and reverence of congregational worship”. The organist, Mr Barker, himself an organ-builder, had delayed “the day of reckoning only by his skill and perseverence”. Selmer no longer made organs. Each member of the congregation was asked to donate £1 to the Organ Fund and £500 had been raised. The new organ cost £1,500.


There were over 44,000 churches throughout the world using the Hammond Organ, including many in Scotland, and quite recently Hammonds had been installed in Canterbury Cathedral and Windsor Chapel. It was said they never required tuning, and were not affected by temperature and humidity changes. They had a wide dynamic range and there was no lag of tone after the keys were pressed. There were churches in Scotland who had had the Hammond for up to 27 years without a service visit.


There was an announcement by the city's new Park Director of a £3,500 plan for Castlemilk to take on “an attractive rural look”. “A series of woodland settings would enhance the area. More toddlers' playgrounds would be added, and garden layouts would lighten the drabness of the main shopping centres.” Parks Department officials were to visit local schools in “an effort to prevent vandalism and to curb the aggressive actions of youthful axe-men.” Schools would possibly be given care of sections of woodland.


Mr George Pirie, a former elder and B.B. Captain of St Margaret's Church, Polmadie Road, was appointed Assistant Minister at Castlemilk East Church.


Rev James Millar completed his visitation of every home in the church membership, over 1,300 members. This took him just over two years.


More than 200 children came to the Summer School in the church hall each day during that week. There were 27 helpers.