The preaching of the Word

Sunday services at Dowanvale take place at 11.00am and 6.30pm in the church at 35 Dowanhill Street.

Prayer Meeting

The prayer meeting meets on Wednesdays at 7.30pm in Dowanvale’s church hall, which is accessed from the side door on Chancellor Street. We pray in adoration to God with confession of sin and thanksgiving for God’s goodness, and we ask God to pour out his blessing on our church and the wider world.  The Word is also expounded during the prayer meetings.

Psalmody Class

The Psalmody Class meets on Sundays at 5pm in the church hall.  We are learning new tunes to accompany Sing Psalms. There is a tea break before the evening service begins.  (The Psalmody Class will resume after the summer break)

Children

The crèche is open from 10.45am and meets in the church hall. Children of Sunday School age usually sit upstairs in the church for the start of the morning service. Following the minister’s childrens’ talk and the singing of the second Psalm, the children leave to go down to the Sunday School. There are four Sunday School classes: pre-school; primary 1 to primary 3; primary 4 to primary 7; and the Bible Class for those in secondary school up to the age of 16. All our Sunday School teachers and crèche workers are signed up to the Dowanvale Child Protection Policy and are vetted through Disclosure Scotland.

Mothers and Toddlers

The Mothers and Toddlers group meets each Wednesday (except during school holidays) between 11.30am and 1pm in the church hall. All mothers (parent or guardian) and toddlers/babies are welcome to join for some chat, light refreshments and the encouragement of meeting together.

Youth Club

Every Monday night there is a youth club in the church hall for children aged 9-16. This runs from 7pm-8.30pm. The Dowanvale Free Time Club is very popular with the children in the local area, with a regular attendance of 20-25 each week. Activities include badminton, table tennis, air hockey, pool, Nintendo Wii, arts and crafts and a tuck shop. At 8pm the children go into small groups for a Bible message and prayer. The theme for the term is Characters from the Bible.

Dowanvale Cafe

On Saturdays between 12 and 3pm we run a cafe which is open in the church hall. There are plenty signs outside the church pointing you in the right direction where you can enjoy a choice of soup, bacon rolls, sausage rolls, baking, desserts, tea and coffee. The waiting and kitchen staff are all volunteers and enjoy meeting and mixing with all who come to the cafe. So if you simply want a lunch, or you desire to talk about Jesus, or even just spend some time in comfort and relax, please come along! A warm welcome goes out to everyone who is passing by.

Womens’ Meeting

Women from the congregation meet once a month from October to May in the church hall on a Thursday evening at 7.30pm. Various activities are planned throughout the year and, as well as enjoying fellowship over tea and coffee, our primary focus is to raise funds for missionary organisations.

Youth Meeting

A Friday night Youth Meeting will be on monthly in the church hall at 7.30pm. This will begin with a time of worship and a brief talk/testimony from someone in the congregation. After worship the hall will remain open to the young people in the congregation to spend time together and strengthen relationships. It will be similar to a youth club set up, with table tennis, pool and a Nintendo Wii, amongst other things, all available for use. All of the youth fellowship are welcome to attend this evening. Keep an eye on the website/intimations for when it is on.

Youth Fellowship

The Youth Fellowship meets in Dowanvale on Sunday evenings during term time (apart from the first Sunday of the month which takes the form of a congregational fellowship). Meetings are normally held in the church hall. Around 30-40 students and young people make up the fellowship. The programme is varied and all young people aged from 16 to 30 are very welcome.  This year we hope to have events running throughout Freshers’ Week in September to welcome all students and young people to the congregation for a new academic year!

Congregational Fellowship

The Congregational Fellowship meets on the first Sunday of the month, following the evening service in the church hall at Dowanvale. Following a sumptuous tea, a guest speaker talks about how God has worked in their life. Recent speakers include Marie-Christine Lux, who has worked in Africa and Peru; Donald Macdonald, who heads up Macdonald Hotels; and Colin McKerracher who is Chief Constable of Grampian Police.

Gaelic Service

A Gaelic service at Dowanvale is held once a month on a Thursday evening in the church hall, which is accessed from the side door on Chancellor Street. The service is for Gaelic speakers and learners from the Glasgow area and people from beyond Dowanvale are very welcome. Tea is served after the service. Please see the news page for details of the next Gaelic service.

Facilities

The church hall is situated in the basement, and was radically remodelled in 2003 under the leadership of Donald Thomson, a builder to trade and an elder of the congregation. We are now blessed with excellent facilities. In addition to the main church hall, we have three classrooms; a fully equipped office; a well-stocked library; a vestry, three toilets and two showers.

Accessibility

The building alterations over the last two years have taken great care to ensure that Dowanvale Free Church caters for all people. In their wisdom, Victorian architects ensured that the main church is two metres above ground level, and the church halls are located in the basement. So many steps! A ramp has been erected from the pavement on Chancellor Street to the side door of the church and a wheelchair lift inside eliminates the remaining steps. A separate passenger lift with wheelchair access links the main church to the church hall below. Disabled toilets are located at the back of the church. For the hard of hearing, a loop system ensures audibility both in the main church and in the church hall.

Catering

At Dowanvale Free Church, we like to get together over a cup of tea and a bite to eat! Congregational lunches are now a regular event; therefore a state-of-the-art kitchen and food preparation area, compliant with health and safety provisions, was installed in 2003. All those who help with catering have qualified for a Food Hygiene Certificate.