MEMBERS OF a Fife congregation fear their church could be bulldozed when it closes its doors after 150 years.

St Andrew’s Parish Church in Lochgelly, which has seen dwindling numbers of churchgoers, will be put on the market later this year.

Apart from being of historic interest and aesthetic value to the town, the church also has two war memorials and the garden is a final resting place for ashes of the deceased.

Able to hold 800 people, the church is rarely filled to capacity, with only over 100 turning up with any regularity.

The congregation will now move to Macainsh Church. Last month a special service was held to merge the congregations.

On Easter Sunday, the last morning service in the church will be held at 11.15.

Joyce Drysdale, who was the first woman to take the role of session clerk at St Andrew’s 10 years ago, said it would be an emotional occasion.

She said, “There are people who have attended the church all their lives, including one 94-year-old lady who has lived in Lochgelly all her life.

“It’s very, very sad.”

Ms Drysdale has her own reasons for wanting to keep St Andrew’s a part of the community.

This week is the third anniversary of the death of her brother and his ashes were scattered in the garden beside the church.

“It will be a sad occasion for my mother and me,” she said.

“One lady who died with no family left her money to the church and her ashes are there as well.

“But I don’t think that comes into the equation. It will all depend on what offer is made for the building.”

In 1859 it was recorded that “a handsome church, which had cost £1100 and was now free of debt,” had been built in Lochgelly.

In 1915, it was renovated to house 800 people. It features a traditional oak-beamed ceiling, a beautiful stained glass window and an impressive pipe organ.

Ms Drysdale said, “Over the years numbers have declined.

“There were three churches in Lochgelly up until the 1980s. When one closed the congregation was split between the two remaining churches.

“It’s a beautiful building but not economically viable, and that’s what seems to matter these days.

“It would be nice if they converted it into a youth club because young people in the town have little to do, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone would have the money to do that.

“There are a few buildings in Lochgelly already standing empty and nobody has bought them. It is most likely the church will be demolished to make way for flats.”

She said, “At one time the population of Lochgelly was 14,000. It is now 9000 and most of these people don’t go to church at all.

“I think it’s possibly because society is very commercial and people ignore the spiritual side of life.

“Until something tragic happens in their life, they don’t really think about spiritual matters.”

A spokeswoman for the Church of Scotland said St Andrew’s would not go on the market until at least September because a number of weddings had been booked.

She said, “It’s really too early to say what will happen, but it is important for the people of Lochgelly that we preserve anything of historic value.”