Introduction

This Church of Scotland Parish Church is situated in the town of Leslie in central Fife.

The church building is located at the west end of the High Street and the manse sits in its own walled grounds in a quiet street, a few minutes walk from the church.

The Parish comprises the town, with a population of some 3000, and the rural areas to the north and west of the town.

The Town of Leslie

This friendly, thriving town, dating back to the fifteenth century, nestles in the foothills of the picturesque Lomond Hills Country Park, and on its eastern and southern boundaries there is the newer town of Glenrothes.

Today, Leslie is a paper-making town, separated from the larger “new town” of Glenrothes by the River Leven. The Leven valley is the focus of the mills which employ many local people, while Glenrothes also offers employment in offices, retail outlets and on its industrial estates.

• Transport

Leslie is situated some 8 miles from the M90 motorway, midway between Edinburgh and Perth. Main line railway stations are located at Markinch, (3 miles); Thornton (Glenrothes) (4 miles); and Kirkcaldy (10 miles).

• Services

Leslie and the adjoining town of Glenrothes provide for the everday needs, with a wide range of shops and supermarkets (Morrisons, WH Smith, Boots, Argos, Homebase, and Focus etc.). Some 10 miles away in Kirkcaldy there are other larger chain stores (M & S, Sainbury’s, Tesco’s, BHS, Halfords and Comet etc.). Medical and dental care is also available in Leslie.

Education provision is good, with a local nursery and a primary school at the west end of the town (5-10 minutes walk from the manse). Glenwood High School, in Glenrothes is also close by (5 minutes by bus). Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy each have a campus of the Adam Smith College.

• Leisure, Recreation & Education in Area

Leslie: golf course (9 hole); bowling green; Lomond Hills Country Park (hill walking, fishing); primary school; nursery; library.

Glenrothes: sports centre (inc. swimming pool); indoor bowling alley; golf course (18 hole); theatre; high schools; library; Fife Airport...

Further afield: theatre, Adam Smith College; football stadium; ice arena and shopping centre (Kirkcaldy 10 miles); multiplex cinema; shopping; football stadium (Dunfermline 13 miles); Lochore Country Park (7 miles); St. Andrews golf courses, University etc. (20 miles); also unspoiled coastal scenery and delightful fishing villages around the Fife coast only 10 to 15 miles away.

The Church & Community

• Introduction

Trinity Church is a united congregation of three former Church of Scotland congregations in Leslie. 2006 saw the fiftieth anniversary of a very successful tri-union.

The parish is compact and incorporates both urban and rural elements within its boundaries. The parish extends from the Fife boundary at Auchmuir Bridge in the west to its boundary with Glenrothes in the east. To the north it is bounded by the foothills of the Lomond Hills and to the south by the River Leven. An extension is acknowledged, incorporating a small housing estate known as Whinneyknowe, in Glenrothes, within the eastern boundary of the parish. The current population of the town is approximately 3,000.

• The Congregation

The church has a membership of around 300 together with some adherents. On average, about 25% of the membership attends Communion on each of the three occasions during the year.

The church is enthusiastic and supportive, prepared to work closely with and help the minister. Though now lacking in young people and newly-married couples in the membership, it is aware of the challenges resulting from the influences in society and strives actively to make the Christian Gospel known to all sections of the community.

The Presbytery Plan for the area now includes a Parish Grouping arrangement for the parishes of Leslie Trinity, Glenrothes: St.Ninian’s and Glenrothes: St Columba’s, which will allow ministers and congregations of these three parishes to work together, sharing in resources and in the utilization of skills and gifts. The new ministers for the three churches within this Parish Grouping will be able to take the lead in how this supportive partnership may best operate.

• Worship

Sunday public worship each week at 10:30am averages an attendance of between 50 and 70 people and is augmented by the Young Church children who are present during the earlier part of the service. The congregation has a reputation of being a friendly, family church. Public worship follows a more open and relaxed form of service, with members of the congregation frequently actively participating. Readings are taken from the “Good News” edition of the Bible and Church Hymnary (Third Edition) is supplemented with “Mission Praise” and “Songs of God’s People”.

The praise is led by a choir of about 10 members and the choir practices regularly under the leadership of an enthusiastic organist and choirmaster. Choir pieces are a regular feature of worship throughout the church year.

A group of children (the Young Church) meets during worship time. The church maintains a satisfactory level of competent and well-trained teaching staff for the present and future demand. A crèche facility is available, but is currently in abeyance due to lack of demand.

An extension of the weekly worship services continues to flourish in the form of a House Group of some 10 members. This includes visitors from other congregations and meets fortnightly.

• Organisations

Adult organisations include a very active section of the Church Guild with about 30 members. The Guild meets weekly, alternating afternoon with evening meetings.

The church extends its influence in the community through a Lunch Club, open once a week for the provision of “value-for-money” meals to mainly single, senior citizens. The Lunch Club is staffed by volunteers from the congregation.

Outreach is also achieved by monthly attendance at school assemblies at Leslie Primary School and by chaplaincy work at Glenwood High School.

• Session & Board

The church is served by a Kirk Session of 24 members, whose meetings and visits complement the pastoral mission within the parish.

The Session structure consists of 5 Area Teams, supported by a Specific Pastoral Care Group, a Stewardship Group, a Worship and Mission Group, a Social Events Group and a Communications Group.

A group of elders engage in pastoral care to the housebound, with short services being held in members’ homes and at a local nursing home.

The Session Clerk, having undergone appropriate training at Rutherford House, Edinburgh, has in recent times assisted the former Interim Moderator by conducting parish funerals when requested.

The Board of Management of the church consists of the eldership plus 13 congregational members and oversees the temporal business.

• Publicity / Communications

Trinity church produces a church newsletter on a quarterly basis at present and has recently gone online with the new church website, where regular monthly updates are uploaded. A weekly intimations/news-sheet is also available at worship services at present.

• Links With Others

There are good ecumenical links in the parish to build on and Trinity Church has excellent relations and exchanges with St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church and Leslie Baptist Church, within the town and with neighbouring churches in Glenrothes. There is a local “Churches Together Forum” on which Trinity Church is represented.

The Church Buildings

• The Church

The stone built church is an attractive, older church building, dating from the nineteenth century and is a category “B” Listed Building. The church was previously known as the West Kirk until the union of 3 Church of Scotland churches in the town in 1956 when it became known as Trinity Parish Church. A few years ago, a new hall/meeting room was formed within the Trinity Church building and older halls on a separate site were sold. A large well-equipped, recently refurbished kitchen is attached to the rear of the main building.

There are ample, well kept, landscaped grounds to the front and sides of the church, with vehicle access and room for extension. Access for the disabled is good and toilet facilities for the disabled are currently being constructed. A new sound system with an induction loop system has recently been installed in the church to replace the older setup.

• The Manse

The manse is a two storey, spacious, stone-built dwelling with good aspects, standing in its own walled grounds, with long access driveway, turning space and a single garage. The manse contains two large rooms and a dining room on the ground floor and four bedrooms, a bathroom, a shower room, and a box room on the first floor. There is a newly fitted kitchen, a utility room, and a toilet apartment on the ground floor.

The house is fully double glazed and has a gas central heating and hot water system. There is also a wired, security alarm system and a number of security lights externally.

Profile Compiled August 2005 (Updated January 2008)