TWO of Clydebank’s churches have started their new life together as one congregation hoping to welcome more members of the community.

St Cuthbert’s in Linnvale merged with Abbotsford in the town centre to become the new Waterfront Parish Church, with Rev Dr Ruth Morrison as minister.

The unification has been in the cards for two years as both congregations considered the plans. The move might have happened earlier but there was a wait for Dr Morrison to return from maternity leave after welcoming daughter Grace to the world 15 months ago.

About 40 people from St Cuthbert’s have joined with the 70 people at Abbotsford for Sunday services. St Cuthbert’s has been without a minister for some time, one of a number of Church of Scotland properties struggling with numbers.

Dr Morrison said: “We’re addressing the challenges of that and hopefully it’s a positive as well. I think it’s better to be together.

“It’s wonderful to be able to look out and see a full church. It’s about being in the community and how we serve Clydebank – we want to be very outward looking.

“It’s about getting the word out that we’re here and we would love people to come along and visit us. I’m excited by the challenge. We are very much around.”

Both churches have had mergers in their own pasts already, so Dr Morrison is hopeful Waterfront has got off to a good start.

She said: “There is a sense of taking the best of who we have been and taking it forward and where we want to go.”

Waterfront is hoping to add a new employee in the future to expand their child and pastoral work and offer even more activities as it goes forward.

As well as midweek badminton on Wednesday mornings at 10am and a kids’ club from 3pm, the church also has “craft daft” on Mondays at 7.30pm and “messy church” on the first Monday of the month at 4.30pm. There are also weekly meetings of the Boys’ Brigade and Rainbows and Brownies.

Sunday worship is from 11.30am until December and then 10am from January to June, with Sunday school for children aged up to 12.