In 1995, the congregation of the nearby St Nicholas Congregational
(later, the United Reformed) Church came to the conclusion that the
exhausting of their resources on the essential extensive repairs to
their building (located on the adjacent Belmont Street) would not be in
the best interests of Christian mission in the centre of the
city. Discussion with the Kirk Session of the Kirk of St Nicholas
indicated there was space for continuing separate congregational life
together under the Kirk’s roof.
Initially the United Reformed Church rented space at the Kirk of St
Nicholas and shared the accommodation here. Three years later, in 1998,
this lead to a formal covenant commitment with the Kirk to work and
grow together. In 2002, a union of the congregations was formed
as a Local Ecumenical Partnership.
The united congregation has adopted name of Kirk of St Nicholas
Uniting as a token of the ancient Mither Kirk’s willingness to provide
a home for all who may wish to be associated with her.
The potential of the building has been expertly assessed and
proposals for far-reaching and exciting changes to an ancient and
ever-evolving place of Christian worship and hospitality have been
drawn up. The Mither Kirk Development Project was officially launched in 2004.
