Duddingston Kirk, Old Church Lane, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH15 3PX 0131 661 4240 email: dodinsoffice@aol.com Charity Number:SC016610
Our regular worship takes place at 10:00am and 11:30am every Sunday. The early service is our family service, where the children depart midway through the service to attend the Sunday Club. The second service is more traditional. Tea and coffee is served in the Hall after the 10:00 service. Visitors are very welcome to join us for any service.
Remember to check out our News and Events pages to see what’s happening in and around the Kirk.
The minister is available in the Gatehouse for consultation during vestry time. This is usually held from 6:30 - 8:00pm on Wednesdays.
Duddingston Kirk is one of the oldest places of worship in the country that is still used for worship today. Despite it’s age, the Kirk has a young and enthusiastic congregation of over 740 members, from over 520 households. The Kirk and it’s associated buildings are in use throughout the week and is a focal-point for the village and local community.
CHURCH OF SCOTLAND -
Special Anniversary
This is a momentous year in the history of our Church. It is 450 years since the tumultuous, dangerous and most exciting period of religious history in Scotland - the Reformation.
This year's General Assembly will celebrate this anniversary and the life of our Church today, possibly giving Scotland its only major focus for this event which changed our nation forever.
Where are the wider celebrations? Scottish society is quick to mark other anniversaries and occasions which have had much less impact on both our history and our lives. The Reformation was one of the key moments of Scottish history and has played its part in the shaping of Scotland today.
Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church - who are perhaps the most entitled to be offended by any Reformation celebration, given that it marked the end of Rome's wholesale influence over Scotland - have already indicated that they would welcome any celebration.
Yet there has been little or no acknowledgement of this key moment in Scotland's history from either of our Parliaments, or any stated intention to mark the anniversary. As far back as June 2009, the Scottish Government indicated there were no plans to mark this important anniversary.
Reticence to mark this sometimes bloody event in Scottish history could lie in our nation's experience of religion. Over the centuries, many lives have continued to be lost in the hijacked name of religion - and continue to do so today. Despite the many efforts of churches, government and society, bigotry still lurks on the streets of some of our towns and cities today.
2010 should be the year that this scourge is finally ended forever. The Reformation was a force for change, which created the culture of the Scotland we know today. This should be a cause for celebration for our whole land and should act as a reminder of the importance of faith and the place of all religion.
Because of our experience at that time, its influence helped to shape history and the rest of the world.
Whilst the Scotland of today is a very different place from that community which witnessed the rise of Presbyterianism, it has been uniquely influenced by the deep faith of those who fought for religious freedom more than four centuries ago.
It is this - and the positive message of welcoming love and deep faith - that should resonate in 2010.
(Editorial in January Life & Work)
