Rev G Little and the beginnings of Craigsbank Church
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Rev G Little and the beginnings of Craigsbank Church
Rev Graham Little The foundation stone of the Church/Hall (now the Large Hall) was laid on Jan 27th, 1937, by the Secretary of the Home Board and in September, Mr Little, then at St Serf's, Dysart, was appointed minister. Five elders from St Ninian's and five from St Anne's Churches formed the new Kirk Session. On October 15th, 1937, the Hall was dedicated and Mr Little inducted. There was no charge to the congregation because there was as yet no congregation. The new parish had been created although it was not until a vote by the members in March 1938 that Craigsbank became the official name, beating the other suggestions of Craigs, Corstorphine West and St Colm's.
The congregation grew rapidly.Mr Little was assiduous in visiting new residents in the district, travelling about on his bicycle. Many were attracted to the church by his friendly approaches and were also impressed by the welcoming manner of those on door duty and by the fact that no seats were reserved, unlike many of the older city churches.
Mr Little wore a frock coat and a top hat to church until the war when he relaxed the formality slightly and purchased a Homburg. On September 3rd, 1939, Mr Little brought his wireless to the morning service so that the congregation could listen to Chamberlain's announcement of the outbreak of war. When this had finished, he said a short prayer and closed the service. As people made their way home, they heard the first air - raid sirens sounding. LISTEN TO BRITAIN'S DECLARATION OF WAR
For six years the small congregation struggled with the problems of wartime. Much of the work of the church fell on Mr Little's shoulders and also those of his family: Mrs Little commented that she sometimes felt that they did every- thing but preach. During the war years the number of members remained at roughly 350 with almost one-sixth of them away on active service.
The end of the war was celebrated at Craigsbank by the granting of "full status" by the General Assembly. The deed of constitution was handed over on October 13th, 1946 and the assessor elders from St Ninian's and St Anne's were released from duties which they had performed so faithfully for nine years. Craigsbank was no longer a Church Extension charge but a full church. The Kirk Session consisted of nine elders elected since 1941 while a Congregational Board was created out of a committee of management which had been operating since 1938.
The next few years saw the resumption of building and another spurt in the growth of the congregation. In 1951 Mr Little accepted a call to Eddleston and the vacancy committee unanimously recommended the Rev J. B. Donald to the congregation which now numbered 415.
Foundation Stone
The information above is short extracts from a publication produced by Craigsbank Church in 1987. The research was done by Frances MacLeod. You can view this book on the website.
In addition when Rev Graham Little died in 1976 the church newsletter published what amounted to an obituary and this is reproduced here: Craigsbank Parish Church Newsletter 1976
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