Mr. McKenzie, although a minister of the First Presbyterian Church in the

United States, could not become a full and active member of the St. Andrews

Presbytery as he was not an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland.

Shortly after coming back from the United States Mr. Nicoll returned to

Dundee when he accepted a call from Downfield Church in 1960. The congre-

gation in Strathkinness objected to the Presbytery asking for the appointment

to the vacancy of a minister aged 55 or over. After a representative of the

Presbytery gave the reasons for this instruction and explained the manpower

situation of the church, the congregation still opposed the Presbytery’s in-

structions, and in 1961 they appealed to the Synod of Fife. Their appeal

was turned down, and as they wished to pursue their objection, they wrote to

the Clerk of the General Assembly for advice and as they were told there was

little hope of the Synod decision being reversed, they decided to appoint a

vacancy committee, which they had earlier postponed doing. Later that year

the Rev. John Hall was elected as minister. Although both the Kirk Session

and the congregation had opposed the request of the Presbytery to appoint

an older man as minister, Mr. Hall was warmly received and greatly liked by

both Session and congregation. During his ministry the taking of offerings

at a plate at the door was changed to handing round a bag during the service.

It was during Mr. Hall’s ministry that the Church Hall was built, and the first

proposal for a Boys’ Club was made. Ministers, by this time, were no longer

obliged to remain in the ministry after a normal retirement age had

been reached, and Mr. Hall retired in 1968. The Rev Alestair Bennett, the

new minister, was instrumental in many changes that took place. It was he,

who with Mr. Wallace Adam, who supplied the paper and had it printed, was

the first producer of a church news sheet which eventually, under the Rev.

Douglas Gaibraith, became ‘Kirk & Community’. He was also largely respon-

sible for the setting up of the Youth Club in 1975, which at that time was

associated with the church. He brought in the practice of members of the

church reading the scripture lessons, and he supported the cause of women as

elders. By 1973 the attitude towards the position of women in the church

had changed and Mrs. V.J. Smart, Miss L. Haworth, and Mrs. M.R. Smith were

elected elders. Mrs. Smart has been Session Clerk since 1985.

In 1975 a committee set up by the General Assembly, called ‘The

Committee of Forty’, reported on the state of the church. The drop in the

number of members was causing great concern and with this decline it was

becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with inflation. The number of

ministers was dropping and the recruitment to the ministry was small. The

whole parish system was brought under question as being unrealistic. They

suggested larger parishes with mobile ministers within the parish. The report

was a frank assessment of what was happening in the church, and since then

some of their suggested changes have been made.

46