Church of Scotland opens first purpose-built green church

The Church of Scotland's first purpose built environmentally friendly building will be opened in Bankfoot on Wednesday.

A host of congregations from across the country have already been to visit Auchtergaven and Moneydie Parish Church, as they eye up the future of "green" church buildings in Scotland.

The venue hopes to provide a space for a wide variety of community groups. As well as a place for worship, the premises boasts a health clinic, conference facilities, a community cafe, an elderly day care centre, a sports hall and a soft play area for children, some of which was made out of mobile phones and old Wellington boots.

The Rev Iain McFadzean felt it showed a real community commitment to protecting the environment, "We see this as our Christian service to look after God's creation and to take ecological concerns seriously.

"We are also pleased that the church is acting as a catalyst for the area, and that the building will be well used by a variety of local projects."

Following the destruction of their 18th century church building in a fire three years ago, the congregation decided to rebuild, and wanted the construction design and future use to be as sustainable as possible.

The church has numerous features which make it environmentally friendly, including renewable energy sources from two wind turbines and a ground source heat pump. The 1,400 square metre building has the lowest carbon footprint of a commercially used building in Scotland, equating to the same annual output as a two bedroom bungalow.

Rev McFadzean also mentioned that their expertise has been well shared, with 40 different congregations visiting throughout construction.

"It seems to have inspired a number of other churches to pursue their own green initiatives, and we've even had visitors from Canada and the States," he said.

"We are pleased to share our knowledge and experience, and would urge any group considering whether to pursue this avenue to get in touch."

Perth Presbytery will hold a service of dedication at the brand new facility on Wednesday evening, and the congregation's first service will be held on Sunday morning.

Upon a previous visit, Finance Secretary John Swinney said that in the future all buildings should be built like the premises in Bankfoot. He will be in attendance at the Wednesday service.