WELCOME

Moderator
Rev. Toby McIntosh
0428 862 962
Minister
Rev. John Brennan
(03) 5334 2199

MORE ABOUT US

ABOUT US

We are a parish made up of 2 congregations - Scots in Ballarat North and Smeaton Presbyterian.

Our Mission:
  • To share our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, with others, so that we all grow in the wisdom, knowledge and love of Christ.
  • To live godly lives, bound together into a family by His love.
  • To teach Biblical truth.
Our Vision:
  • To be a place where people seeking a more purposeful and fulfilling way of life may find peace, joy and rest.
  • To be a place of welcome and nurture for people of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities who wish to follow Christ, the Son of God.

FROM THE MINISTER

Seeing Him who is Invisible

|   Posted:
14th Sept. '25

We all need to be aware of the Presence of God. Moses reminds the Israelites of who God is. In Deut. 4:1-14, the picture is of God, the Generous Giver .

God's special relationship with His people is because God first loved them and chose them. He blesses His people by giving them the Law and the Land.

The Ten Commandments commence by stating what God has done in His generosity: I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt.

Why did God give His people the Law?

  1. So that His people could enjoy life. Certain rules will always be necessary, but living a life of faithful obedience to Christ will be a life of joy. We will live in thankful response to a gracious and generous God.
  2. So that His people would be confronted with serious responsibilities. Moses warns the people not to add or subtract from God's Word. This is a warning we too must heed.
  3. So that the lives of His people would be transformed, and in so doing, would impact others around them.
  4. So that the people would be educated significantly. The Law was to be treasured within families and taught to each successive generation.
  5. So that the overall society would benefit. God gave the Law to have a unifying and a purifying effect within the life of the nation.

The Law was given and entrusted to the people as a token of God's abundant generosity.

NEWS

After considerable investigation and planning, maintenance work to repair the spire of Scots Presbyterian Church in Lydiard St North has recently been carried out. Over time (Scots Church is now 134 years old) the gutter at the base of the spire and the top of the brick tower, which collects rainwater from the spire, has deteriorated. This has led to water damaging the timbers at the base of the spire and the spire developing a lean to the north.

The repairs have involved:

  • fitting a reinforcing ring near the base of the spire.
  • jacking the spire back to vertical and replacing any deteriorated timbers.
  • installing a new copper gutter.
  • checking the whole spire and carrying out repairs where necessary.

A remaining task is to reinstate the cross on the top of the spire.

These works should ensure that the Scots Church spire will continue to be a prominent feature on the Ballarat skyline for many years.

Scots Church has been fortunate to have obtained the professional services of Gestalt Engineers of Ballarat and Spire Australia of Melbourne to plan and carry out these works.

Funding is being provided by Scots Church and the Presbytery of Western Victoria.

A plan for ongoing maintenance and refurbishment is being developed.

IN OUR PRAYERS

Pray for our Parish

|   Posted:
28th Jul '25

Please pray for one another in our church family. There are many health needs at present, particularly in this wintry weather. Pray as the Lord leads you.

Please thank the Lord for our hospitals, for our medical specialists, our GPs and our Ambulance Service.