Ellon is a town of over 10,000 people located approx. 16 miles north of Aberdeen. It is a vibrant community with many different groups working and meeting the different needs in the town. It has in the past been a particularly fluid community given its proximity to Aberdeen and the oil industry.
The church
Ellon Baptist Church, since being constituted as a church plant from Bridge of Don in 1987, has never had its own building and has met in several different locations in the morning. The church has met for a long period of time in the Castlepark Community centre in the evening.
The church had several part-time leaders in the early years before the appointment of the first full-time minister, Rev John Jamieson, in the mid-90s, who served the church till late 2001 before taking up a post in Nepal and in 2010 joining the army as a chaplain. In this period the Tuesday night Kids Club was setup, providing fun and bible teaching to those in primary school over the age of 7. It has been a continual source of encouragement to see how God has blessed this work and how many people outside the church have been touched by it.
The late Rev Stuart Falconer served the church from 2002 till April 2009, before retiring due to ill-health. The church saw increased growth during Stuart's time as minister, necessitating a move from the Community Centre to the Kirk Centre, kindly offered to us by Ellon Parish Church. The church meets again back in the Community Centre, moving in November 2010.
The church is passionate about reaching into the community and, in addition to the Kids Club, has two toddler groups. The first is held at 10am in Castlepark Community Centre at 10am on Wednesday with the second at the same time but on Thursday at the Guide Hut. There are often anything from 20-40 parents attending with a plentiful provision of toys, juice and crisps as well as tea and coffee and a listening ear from those in the church who are involved in this.
The church is served at present by our minister Rev Jim Clarke.
Worship in Ellon Baptist Church is a mix of the traditional and contemporary and the church is served by a mixture of keyboard, guitar, recorder, clarinet, violin as well as several gifted singers. A young person's praise group leads worship from time to time.
