Hope Park Church, St Andrews
Coordinates: 56°20′26″N 2°47′59″W / 56.340663°N 2.799711°W Hope Park Church in St Andrews, Fife is a congregation of the Church of Scotland.
Building
The current building, by Peddie & Kinnear, was completed in 1865. It has notable stained glass windows and an unusual canopy above the pulpit.
History
The congregation can trace its origins back to the Associate Presbytery (led by the dissident Stirling minister Ebenezer Erskine), which broke away from the Church of Scotland in 1733. In 1738 a Kirk Session of a local congregation (initially worshipping outdoors) was recognised by the Associate Presbytery. For many years the congregation met in variety of meeting places in St Andrews, eventually in a purpose-built chapel at 52 North Street prior to the opening of the current building in 1865.
As the Associate Presbytery developed (and divisions emerged), the congregation – based on the Voluntary rather than Establishment principle – became associated with the Burghers, which in 1820 became the United Secession Church, which in turn became the United Presbyterian Church in 1847, which merged with the Free Church in 1900 to become the United Free Church of Scotland, which united with the Church of Scotland in 1929.
Ministry
The current minister (since 2011) is the Reverend Allan McCafferty BSc BD, who was previously minister at Kirkwall East Parish Church, Orkney. He succeeded the Reverend David Arnott, who was minister from 1996 until 2010. On 27 October 2010 Mr Arnott was nominated to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2011-2012.