Oban Congregational Church Oban Argyll and Bute

Oban Congregational Church is serving the Oban community and engaging and encouraging others through a life-changing journey in Oban, Argyll and Bute.

Our mission is to nurture a diverse and welcoming community, committed to following fearlessly wherever God is leading us and make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of Oban and the world!

 

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EARLY HISTORY OF OBAN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Oban Congregational Church - now part of the Congregational Federation in Scotland - is the town's oldest church, founded in 1805.

A history of the church, written in 1905, starts like this : - 'At the close of the 18th Century, the religion of the highlands was in a most deplorable state - the ignorance and immorality of the people was appallingly great - things seemed little better amongst ministers and church leaders - evangelical preaching was unknown and the morals which formed the staple of Pulpit administration were almost as rare in common life as the gospel was in the Pulpit'

However, renewal and revival reached the Highlands and, in 1805, a group of enthusiastic converts formed what was, at first, Oban Independent Church.

This event took place in the summer at Stronafine Farm, some 7 miles east of the town, this being convenient for the members, who came from a wide area - Glen Lonan, Bonawe, Kilninver, Kilmore, Easdale, and Oban, which at this time, was a thriving village of about 1200 people with a sizable crafting population in the immediate vicinity. A few weeks after the founding of the church, the first minister, Mr Dugald Mc Ewen, who served for two years, was ordained in Oban on a green area in Combie Street, a site now occupied by the hardware shop of MacDougall's of Oban Ltd.

The church faced much opposition and persecution and was greatly strengthened in the struggle when, in 1810, the Rev. John Campbell responded to the call to this pastorate and to build up the church. He served it with great dedication, commitment and hard work until his death in1853. In the early days, the church had to hold its services in Oban on the seashore, the minister preaching from a rock.

The records tell us that - 'Often the wintry, wet weather prevented many people from hearing the preaching and so the congregation resolved to build a place of worship sufficiently large to accommodate all who would hear'

Under the leadership and perseverance of the Rev. Campbell and after much difficulty, the members acquired the site below the rock at the top of Argyll St. to build their place of worship.

The congregation, working class people, subscribed £100, and in1819 the Rev. Campbell travelled to Glasgow, Edinburgh and even London seeking further subscriptions. The first church building costing around £400 was completed in 1820, and could seat up to 600 people. The preamble to the subscription list stated that the doors of the building "shall be open to every description of hearers and to gospel ministers of every denomination" and so the church continued to nurture people in faith through effective preaching and prayer meetings.

RECENT HISTORY

This is Oban's oldest church. It was founded in 1805, when a group of enthusiastic converts formed what was at first the Oban Independent Church, meeting on a nearby farm. The church and its members faced opposition and persecution, and for a time they had to hold their services on the sea shore, the minister perched on a rock.

Eventually, due to growing numbers, in1820 the church members under the inspired leadership of the Rev. John Campbell, secured this site and, with rock quarried locally, built their place of worship. This was the first church in Oban, and served the community well, being open to all who wanted to learn and hear the Word of God, and this included many children. In 1879, when the building had become inadequate for the work, and following severe storm damage, the people resolved to rebuild on the site - (on and into the rock!) This present building, opened in September 1880, could speak volumes for the faithfulness, persistence and optimism of the people -and for the many blessings of God on the way.

Our position today right in the centre of the town, is seen as a symbol of our hope and effort that our church's life might relate in a real and relevant way to the people of Oban and those who visit us. With this in mind, in 1996 the then small congregation being aware of the deterioration and the unsuitable access of this listed building, decided to upgrade and restore it and started the 'Acorn Restoration Project'. Now in 2005 this project has been completed, and we thank God for all His guidance and provision in enabling us to access the resources we needed.

As a church we are growing, praying, working with people of all ages, and seeing God's challenge in new and exciting ways. We rejoice in working together with other Christians in the town and now we also seek to make our beautiful restored building available for use to suitable groups within the community.

The Church is made up of people who have found comfort, challenge and support in the love of God, through friendship that the church encourages. We believe that YOU are loved by God, whether you have any church background or not, and at our meetings we try to find out more about this love.

List of Ministers 1805 to Present Time

1805 - 1807 Dugald McEwan

1810 - 1853 John Campbell

1853 - 1854 James MacLean

1855 - 1878 Charles Whyte

1878 - 1879 John Blacklock

1879 - 1882 John McNeil

1891 - 1896 Alexander Mann

1896 - 1902 William Rosling

1903 - 1906 A G B Silverwright M.A.

1906 - 1909 A.. MacIntosh M.A.

1911 - 1912 George Strathairn

1915 - 1918 R.M. Johnstone

1918 - 1919 John Edmonston 1920 - 1921 John F. Fortesque

1925 - 1930 D.G. Livingston

1930 - 1935 Charles Cammock

1936 - 1941 John Shaw Guthrie

1942 - 1945 John Fullerton M.A.

1946 - 1952 John C. Bateman

1954 - 1958 Edward G. Stout

1959 - 1961 James K. Smith

1965 - 1968 Walter, Archie Scott

1972 - 1974 David MacFarlane Munro

1976 - 1992 Christeen A Brown

1996 - 2006 Carol A. Leech B.A.

2006 - Kenneth Hunter