For almost forty years, the Rev. W. Gerald Jones has been privileged to be the minister at Kirkmichael linked with Straiton (St. Cuthbert’s) Parish Church in South Ayrshire. The Church at Straiton is in a large rural parish – a  predominantly sheep-rearing one – and in due course will unite with the recently-formed North Carrick Parish which, at present, is a union of three neighbouring congregations: Crosshill, Kirkoswald and Maybole. In this latest in our “Love Your Local Church” series of blogs, Rev Jones highlights some of the building’s finer features and reflects on his almost four-decade ministry there.

Straiton Church has been described as “a gem in rural South Ayrshire.” The building itself consists of a late 15th century chantry chapel, thought to be part of an earlier medieval structure, dedicated to St. Cuthbert. The main part of the present Church dates rom 1758, and a pseudo-Norman tower built in 1901, is attached to it. The Church underwent an extensive restoration and refurbishing in 2017-2018 with the objective of conserving it for future generations.

When I accepted the call to become minister at Kirkmichael with Straiton in 1985, it was with a profound sense of homecoming to an area well-known and much-loved by me since childhood. My great-grandparents had lived and worked on Blairquhan estate from about 1866-1890; my two great-aunts had been interred in Straiton Churchyard; and my grandfather, whose first name ‘William’ I bear, was baptised in the Church where I am now the minister. I often wonder what my forebears would think if they knew that one of their family members ministered here!

Having been the minister here for almost four decades has shown me the importance and the uniqueness of rural ministry. There are the joys of preaching to small but attentive congregations. There is the ease and the pleasure of getting to know many people in a short time, and of learning the vocabulary of rural life in general, and of farming life in in particular. Births, marriages and deaths in the parish touch everyone, even if those affected are not personally known to the parishioners. and the setting provides an excellent opportunity to be minister to the whole parish, and not merely chaplain to the congregation. There has been a strong connection over the years with Straiton Primary School and with other organisations and institutions in the nearby town of Maybole. Rural ministry is vital to the Church of Scotland’s spiritual health, and must be preserved as a priority in Christian outreach.

Straiton Church is arguably much more than an A-listed building of outstanding historic and architectural interest. It is the centre of a parish ministry that gains much respect and affection from those not formally associated with it, and is actively engaged in Christian witness through weekly and other services, pastoral visitation, and the various community events it organises each year.

Our Church has a rich inheritance in the Christian name, and, having survived the turbulent centuries of Scottish history, and the changes and challenges of more recent times, is still a much-loved centre of Christian worship at the heart of this rural community in a secular age – a visible reminder of God’s living presence in a world that knows Him not, or loves Him little. We pray that this “gem in rural South Ayrshire” will long continue to be so.

A huge thank-you to the Rev Jones for sharing his reflections on his long connection to the beautiful Straiton Parish Church and how it has earned its beloved place in the heart of its local community and to our Chairperson Prof Adam Cumming for providing the accompanying images.

If you would like to tell the world why you “Love Your Local Church” please do get in touch with us, we would love to share a blog about any Scottish church that has a special place in your heart too.