The Scots Kirk, Paris
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The Scots Kirk is situated at 17 Rue Bayard, near the Champs-Elysées in Paris. It is the only congregation of the Church of Scotland in France. Sunday Services (in English) are at 10.30am. The church building is modern but somewhat inconspicuous from the street. Its location beneath a block of flats makes it difficult for first-time visitors to find, but the Kirk's entrance can be found directly opposite the distinctive RTL building. The nearest Paris Métro station is "Franklin D. Roosevelt".
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[edit] History
The origins of the congregation date back to the 1850s, but the current church building is modern. The congregation has worshipped on the same site since 1885, when they purchased the former American Episcopal Church building in rue Bayard.
The congregation is particularly well known for a former minister the Reverend Dr Donald Caskie, who became known as the "Tartan Pimpernel" for his exploits during World War II.
[edit] Three church buildings on the same site
Following World War II (when the church was unoccupied), the lack of maintenance led to structural problems and the church had to be rebuilt in the late 1950s. The rebuilding work, however, proved to be unsatisfactory. Major structural faults were soon discovered and by the 1980s the building was again in urgent need of replacement or major repairs. It was decided to completely rebuild, albeit with flats above the new church building. The current church building was opened by the then Moderator, the Rt Revd John Miller, in 2002.
[edit] Famous visitors
The congregation has had many famous visitors, including Queen Elizabeth II who laid the foundation stone for the (since replaced) new sanctuary in 1957.
In 1924, during the Olympic Games held in Paris, the athlete Eric Liddell chose to preach at the Scots Kirk instead of running on a Sunday. His story is told in the film Chariots of Fire, but the building used as the Scots Kirk in the film was actually the former Broughton Church in Edinburgh.
During the negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles both the American President Woodrow Wilson and UK Prime Minister David Lloyd George worshipped at the church.
[edit] Current status
The current minister is the Reverend Alan Miller. He was formerly minister at Leven, Fife and was inducted as minister in Paris by the Presbytery of Europe on 31st August 2006.
Though fully part of the Church of Scotland and conscious of its Scottish connections, the Scots Kirk primarily seeks to offer English-language Presbyterian, Reformed Christian worship and pastoral care to an international congregation.
