Balerno Parish Church

08/09/2026

29/08/2026

Worship times at Balerno linked with Currie Church of Scotland
Sunday 30th August
- services are at 09.30am in Balerno and 11.15am in Currie
From Sunday 6th September
- Services are at 09.45am in Balerno and 11.00 in Currie
- Joint service 10.30am on the last Sunday of the month, alternating between the two churches.

27/08/2026

Kirk Session

The Kirk Sessions of Balerno l/w Currie met on Monday August 24th.

Each Session voted on the matter of union of Balerno Parish Church and Currie Kirk and the tenure of the new charge.

The votes recorded were as follows:

For Union: Currie 15, Balerno 11 (1 abstention)
Against Union: Currie 0, Balerno 3

For Reviewable Tenure: Currie 15, Balerno 13
Against Reviewable Tenure: Currie 0, Balerno 2

Total number of voters: 30

The next step will be to hold congregational votes and the dates of these will be announced in due course. Prior to which each member of the congregations will receive appropriate documentation.

13/08/2026

Towards the Union of Currie Kirk and Balerno Parish Church

The parishes of Currie and Balerno were linked by the Presbytery of Edinburgh and West Lothian as from 1st December 2024. The service of Linkage took place on Thursday 19 June 2025. This Linkage is a step on the way to a formal Union as in the Presbytery Mission Plan.

In a Linkage, each church retains its Kirk Session and separate charity number, etc. whereas in a Union the two become one, with one Kirk Session responsible for local leadership and oversight. In due course, Edinburgh: Balerno linked with Currie will become Edinburgh: Kirk of Currie and Balerno.

At the time of writing I cannot give precise dates for each of the next steps but I can describe the stages on the way.

1. The Draft basis and Plan of Union has been sent to the Presbytery Deployment Committee.

2. There will be a meeting of the joint Kirk Sessions of Currie and Balerno on August 24th in the Gibson Craig Hall at 7pm. Representatives of the Presbytery Deployment Committee will be on hand to describe the next steps towards Union and answer questions. After discussion each Session will take a vote on the Basis of Union supervised by the Presbytery representatives.

3. There will then be separate Congregational Meetings where church members will vote on the Basis of Union. These are held in the presence of the Presbytery representatives. Please look out for news of the dates and times of these.

4. Following voting, the Deployment Committee will seek formal approval of the Union at an appropriate Presbytery meeting. Representatives from each congregation may attend that meeting if they so wish.

In parallel the Steering Group has, in addition to drafting the Basis of Union, been working on the preparation of a Programme for Action including a Vision Statement and Strategy for the united church. Please do complete and return the questionnaire which is currently out to consultation and has a deadline of 13th September.

I hope that this gives a helpful explanation of formalities and of what happens next.

Roy Henderson
interim Minister

12/08/2026

Balerno linked with Currie Church of Scotland

10.00 a.m. Sunday 16h August

What does it take a person to have a ‘brave conversation’? You know, facing up to something hard to talk about with someone else.

This Sunday we will hear how Joseph, long exiled in Egypt is reunited with his brothers and father. The same brothers who had sold him to ‘foreign’ traders.

We will also eavesdrop on an edgy conversation between Jesus and a Canaanite woman. you can read it for yourself in Matthew 15: 21-28. Have read, have a think. What do you make of that? Does Jesus change his mind?

How willing are we to be engaged in conversation and have our perspective altered?

Living God,
whose Son Jesus
is you in conversation with us,
open our mouths to speak truthfully
open our ears to listen deeply
and heal our world
and its fractured relationships. Amen.

(Pictures - https://act.library.vanderbilt.edu/search?liturgicalDays[]=Year+A+Proper+15th+Sunday)

04/08/2026

If you are at the Farmers Market this Saturday, families are very welcome at a drop in session of crafts and games in our Ogston Hall.

26/04/2026

Be Part of Something Joyful

Balerno Parish Church Praise Band!
We are excited to bring the praise band back to life, and we would love you to be part of it. This was once a much-loved part of our Sunday services, adding energy, variety, and a real sense of joy to our worship, and now we’re ready to build it again.
Whether you sing, play an instrument, or simply love music, there’s a place for you here. You don’t need to be an expert or have years of experience, what matters most is your enthusiasm, your willingness to get involved, and your desire to help create something uplifting for others.
If you enjoy making music and sharing that joy with others, you’ll fit right in.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, grow in confidence, and be part of a supportive and creative group within the church.
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, or if you’d just like to find out more, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Don MacLeod ([email protected]) or Martin Petty ([email protected]).