The idea of a permanent church building at Croftfoot was probably in the minds of the first office-bearers when the congregation was founded in 1935. Certainly, plans for a Church building were drawn up in 1937 but the intervention of the Second World war in 1939 put these in abeyance. In 1945, when the war was over, the perceived needs had changed and planning started all over again for a hall-church, which, in fullness of time, would become the suite of halls when a church was built alongside.

In post war Scotland building materials remained in short supply and a building license had to be obtained from the Ministry of Works before any work could start. In addition, funds had to be gathered from a congregation, which was still relatively small in number, ( 195 in 1945, 295 in 1950, 107 in 2000).

To address all these problems a Building Committee was formed and the first meeting took place in the home of one of the office-bearers on 7th January 1946. The Minister, Rev Donald Fraser M.A, chaired the first meeting, then Mr. Hugh Patrick was appointed Chairman; Mr. George Leyden (grandfather of Rev Jan Cross, Bannockburn UF) was appointed Secretary and Miss E.F. Ireland was appointed Treasurer. There were also ten ordinary members. The committee met thirty-nine times, the last meeting being held on 14th August 1950, a few weeks before the official opening, by which time Rev Alex Peacock was the Minister and Mr. George Scrimgeour ( uncle of Rev Douglas Scrimgeour, Clerk to the Presbytery of the West) had succeeded as Secretary. Miss Ireland served as Treasurer throughout.

Conditions were difficult. Food, fuel and clothing were still rationed (some items remained so until 1954) and the use of building materials, when available, was closely regulated. Yet in the space of four and a half years the committee raised sufficient funds to proceed, considered initial sketches and saw through the business of obtaining planning permission and a building license for £8,500. They commissioned an architect to convert the outlines into working drawings, and a firm of builders was selected to construct the building. They oversaw the programme of construction and with the Kirk session, selected the furniture and furnishings. All simply summarised in a few words, but these words conceal very many hours of hard work and dedication, feelings of frustration, periods when nothing seemed to be happening and a seemingly never-ending struggle with red tape. That the members of the Building Committee stuck to their task and overcame all these difficulties culminating in the building in which we worship God today, is to their everlasting credit.

Jim Rice

Former Session Clerk