The Kirk Session of Gilcomston yesterday accused the Church of Scotland of “showing contempt” for members of the Kirk who upheld traditional Christian values. The congregation said in a statement: “The Kirk prefers to align itself with a handful of western European and North American denominations, which have torn themselves apart by taking the same novel line.

(Editor’s Note: This is a followup story with more details to a story reported last week.)

Members of Gilcomston South Church in Aberdeen’s Union Street are expected to formally vote to secede from the Church of Scotland at a meeting this summer in protest at the Kirk’s stance on homosexual clergy.

Gilcomston Church is less than a mile from Queen’s Cross Church, the kirk at the centre of the threatened church schism, which was sparked by the congregation’s decision two years ago to induct the Rev Scott Ronnie as the first openly gay minister in the Church of Scotland.

The Kirk Session of Gilcomston yesterday accused the Church of Scotland of “showing contempt” for members of the Kirk who upheld traditional Christian values.

The congregation said in a statement: “The Kirk prefers to align itself with a handful of western European and North American denominations, which have torn themselves apart by taking the same novel line.

“The Kirk need not wring its hands in false anguish that it has managed to split the broad and historic Church of Scotland. The General Assembly knew exactly what it was doing.”

The Rev Dominic Smart, the Minister to the 380-strong congregation, claimed that other congregations were set to follow Gilcomston’s lead.

He said: “I know that there are other congregations but I don’t want to identify them. I really don’t want to be seen to be speaking on behalf of other congregations.

“But I will be very surprised if Gilcomston was the only church to do this.”

He added: “It is not a decision we have taken lightly. It has been taken with a fairly heavy heart but we feel that this is the only way we have got to go. We had a Kirk Session meeting when we finally decided that we would take measures that would allow us and the congregation to leave the denomination.”

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