Yoker Evangelical Church to reopen after six months

Members of Yoker Evangelical Church (YEC) will be welcomed back to the Dumbarton Road building this weekend after six months.

The congregation was temporarily moved into Clyde Court Care Home in Clydebank in May after surpassing the church’s capacity of 90 seats.

The inside of the church prior to the work (Image: Greig Ferguson)

YEC now (Image: Newsquest staff) Greig Ferguson, minister at YEC, explained that the renovation had been discussed for several years but was only made possible after the church received a generous legacy from a member who sadly passed away.

He said: “We were ready to do the work in 2020 but then Covid hit and we didn’t know what life was going to look like after the pandemic so we backed out of it at that point.

“When we came back to it, it was twice the price. But remarkably, Sofia Barclay, one of our members left us a huge legacy and it was more than we needed.

“There were however structural problems, we also found asbestos, and we thought we had one leak but we actually had six.

“That caused lots of dampness so there were tens of thousands of pounds added on to the price.

"We did have to raise some money from the congregation but we managed to get to the end which would have been impossible without Sofia.

“When the news came in our treasurer phoned me in tears. We were so overwhelmed.”

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(Image: Newsquest staff)

The building's capacity has now been expanded to 150 seats after its central dividing wall was knocked down. The church had previously been split into two halls.

In addition to upgrading the space the church’s kitchen has also been revamped and a third Sunday school room has been added to accommodate the growing number of families attending.

Greig revealed that the building also features a touching tribute to Sofia.

The kitchen (Image: Newsquest staff)

He added: “It was quite moving, especially for the people who remember Sofia when she lived here, I think they just felt that bond.

“The church was in last Sunday as a kind of trial service before having the launch weekend. We have put up a plaque in commemoration of Sofia who made all of this possible.

“She became a Christian here when she was a girl and came to the church before moving away. We are feeling excited about the launch weekend.

“When we started the works we expected them to take three months but it's taken six months. However, it was amazing being in the care home.

“Their generosity was amazing and the residents loved it. We’re really grateful for that.”

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Sofia's plaque (Image: Newsquest staff)

Now that YEC has officially reopened it is once again able to run all of its events. These include a free dinner which takes place on a Sunday after the 5pm service.

To mark the reopening the church is hosting a launch weekend.

This will feature a praise and thanksgiving service on Friday, an open day with a BBQ and games between 11am – 2pm on Saturday, and its commissioning service at 10.30am on Sunday.