The Gospel Hall in Tillicoultry has been one of a number of churches and chapels in the town since the Victorian era.
It has been known by several names over the years including the Hillfoots Evangelical Church and more recently the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Constructed in 1853, the Hall in Bank Street has a broad western porch with Tudor Gothic windows but is essentially a plain looking building. It was formally opened on September 25 that year and was known as the Evangelical Union Church.
In 1911 the congregation merged with the Congregational Church at the foot of the High Street. The church in Bank Street was then left empty but in 1914 it was purchased by the Assembly of the Congregational Church for £125.
In 1925 the Church Constitution was drawn up, a legal document which was registered in Edinburgh by solicitor P. Manson in the August of that year.
In May 1921 the first annual conference was held in the hall. The pulpit was refurbished, and a new baptismal area was created in 1928. By 1931 the congregation stood at 76 and this year saw the installation of the organ. To get it into the hall, it’s said that one of the windows had to be removed. This year also saw the introduction of ‘Tea Meetings.’
By 1933 the number of members had risen to 93, and that year saw Sisters Meetings be held. It was around this time it became known as the Gospel Hall.
Lighting of the hall had been by gas before electricity was installed, with a large chandelier hanging over the pulpit for the preacher to read his sermons. Mr and Mrs George Rankine donated light bowls which were used for decades.
During World War II the church continued its work, although it lost some of its members during the conflict. In 1944 there were 106 members of the church. Tillicoultry was home to billeted Polish soldiers, some of whom would attend meetings there, led in Polish by Alex McGregor. Three of these servicemen joined the fellowship during their time at the Middleton Mills.
In 1951, disaster nearly struck when a fire was discovered in the boiler room, but it was swiftly dealt with by the local fire brigade.
In the early 1960s, Youth Weekends were introduced with locals hosting children from other Assemblies, and it was in this decade that the Youth Fellowship saw numbers rise.
Most recently the hall has been used by the Baptist congregation of the Church of The Good Shepherd.
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