A small community which had to abandon plans to save its historic church is looking forward to building a new place of worship.
The congregation of West Ardnamurchan Parish Church had hoped to restore the 19th century building, which at one stage had water pouring down its walls when it rained.
Despite a major fundraising effort, the growing repair bill, which reached £500,000, became too much for the community in Kilchoan.
Church sale will help new building
When the building was deemed to be unsafe, it was closed in 2018 and the following year Lochaber Presbytery decided it should be sold.
The sale was agreed by the Church of Scotland General Trustees which holds properties and investments for the church.
The congregation has been holding services in the local community centre in the meantime, before the church was put on the market this year.
Money from the sale will go towards the new building which has now received planning permission.
It will accommodate up to 30 people and be built next to the Kilchoan manse, just along the road from the church.
The original church was the only building for any Christian denomination in the village, with the next nearest across the Sound of Mull or 22 miles by road in Acharacle.
It is hoped the new building will be used by other Christian denominations and make the project truly ecumenical.
The manse could also be used by visiting ministers or for pilgrimages.
Restoration project ‘unachievable’
Ella Gill, a Church of Scotland reader, is the locum for Acharacle and Ardnamurchan following Rev Fiona Ogg’s retirement this year.
She said: “The community and congregation are delighted that planning permission for a new church building in the village of Kilchoan has been granted.
“We were very disappointed when the church building was deemed unsafe and had to close in 2018.
“Numerous tea and scone days were held for fund raising to which both the community and visitors gave generously.
“Although it had been hoped that the building could be restored to a satisfactory state, the enormous amount of money needed deemed the project unachievable.”
She continued: “This has been a difficult journey for the congregation.
“But with the support of the community and visitors they are embarking on a new phase of mission and ministry in West Ardnamurchan.”
A ‘painful, but ultimately sensible and practical decision’
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “The General Trustees are delighted that the congregation has truly engaged with the spirit of renewal.
“There’s no doubt that the new, flexible building will help the congregation in its interaction with the community and visitors alike.
“They’ve taken the painful, but ultimately sensible and practical decision, to depart from the former church building in the knowledge that the new facility will help drive mission in Ardnamurchan in the years to come.
“The General Trustees wish the congregation every success”.