EASTER SERVICES 

Friday 29th March PALM FRIDAY Service 7.30pm Followed by hot cross buns cakes and coffee. 
Sunday 31st March EASTER SUNDAY Service 10.30am including Holy Communion
Sunday 14th April 2.00pm Daffodial Tea and Organ Recital at Tinwald Church.
Sunday 28th April Worhip led by Chris Blackshaw. Our Farming Minister!

AN ANTHOLOGY FOR LENT
Book based on the carvings of the Ruthwell Cross by Evelyn Hope. Cost £5. There are copies in the church. 

Church services are held every Sunday at 10.30am and anyone who wishes to is welcome to join us.

We are a small congregation but you will find us to be a friendly bunch who love visitors to our wee church, which houses the oldest Celtic cross on mainland UK, The Ruthwell Cross.
Our srvices are conducted by The Reverend Gerald Moule, who is our locum minister and has directed our worship for over 10 years at Ruthwell. Despite being retired, Gerald brings his great experience to us on a weekly babsis and is also available for furnerals and weddings at the church. We are very gratefull to him for his pastoral care in the parish.    

THE CROSS IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 7 DAYS A WEEK 
The key is available in the blue box next to the bungalow in the car park. The lights are on the right hand side as you go into the church. Please help yourself and ensure that the lights are off and door is locked when you leave.  Thank you and enjoy our wonderful cross. 
CONGREGATIONAL CONTACT IS FIONA ON 07803 171007

To view the interview with Prof Daniel O'Donnel on the Visionary Cross Project CLICK HERE    

If any of our members or friends, need any kind of support to pick up supplies or medicines, please contact Fiona on 07803 171007 in the first instance and we will do what we can.  Your Elder is always available to help, even if it is just for a wee chat, so please get in touch with us.  I have every faith that no matter what the issue any of you may face, that one of us will be able to help.  

"The Ruthwell Cross" by Evelyn Hope The Easter story incorporating the Ruthwell Cross and and anthology for Lent   is available to purchase for £13 including P & P. Please order through our contact page.                         

Thank you for taking the time to look at our website. Our aim is to give you an understanding of our congregation, our rural community and our ancient Christian heritage.

Ruthwell Church is the oldest building in South West Scotland still in regular public use. It is a painted rubble kirk, which began as a long narrow medieval church.  The Murray Aisle was added in the 17th Century and the apse, which houses the cross, was added in 1886. It is in a remarkable state of repair both outside and in. 

The graveyard,which surrounds the church, is still in use and is bounded on two sides by a tall gated wall. 

Our traditional Session House is located out with the church yard in the large car park adjacent to the church.  The Session House has been extended to provide a good-sized meeting room and a large galley style modern kitchen and toilet.

Our United Congregation

Welcome to Ruthwell Kirk web site.  Our aim is to give you an understanding of our Church of Scotland congregation, our rural community and our ancient Christian heritage.

Our united congregation was formed in 2011 from the linked parishes of Cummertrees, Mouswald and Ruthwell. Our place of worship is Ruthwell Church and the two church buildings at Cummertrees and Mouswald have now been closed.

The united parish lies along the beautiful Solway Coast between the towns of Annan and Dumfries. The congregations live in and around the rural villages and hamlets of Collin, Mouswald, Ruthwell Station, Clarencefield, Ruthwell, Cummertrees and Powfoot as well as in the larger towns of Dumfries, Annan and Lochmaben.

The parish has one primary school at Cummertrees, which is well renowned in the area and there are local secondary schools in Dumfries and Annan.

Attractions

The Parish attracts people from around the world to visit the ancient Ruthwell Cross, a magnificent 7th century Anglo Saxon preaching cross and the oldest cross of its kind on mainland UK. The church also houses a magnificent 12th century font. The Trustee Savings Bank Museum, is in Ruthwell Village and is famously the oldest savings bank in the world, founded by the Reverend Henry Duncn, minister of the parish in the 18th century. Just outside the village, you can find The Brow Well, with its historic connection to our national bard Robert Burns, who bathed there shortly before he died.

The local area boasts two golf courses within the parish at Powfoot and Hoddom and several more in the surrounding area. There are many accessible walks along the miles of shore and forests in the parish and the National Cycle Route also runs through the parish and the vllage of Ruthwell.  We have Hotels and wedding venues at Hetland Hall Hotel near Carrutherston, The Farmers Inn in the village of Clarencefield and The Powfoot Hotel n Powfoot village. 

Tracing Ancestors

Many visitors are interested in tracing ancestors in our area. Memorial Inscriptions (MIs) for our cemeteries have been transcribed and published by Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society. The Society has a Research Centre in Dumfries. It has a website which gives details of the archives they hold and a list of the publications which are available. http://www.dgfhs.org.uk/

The Ruthwell Cross: A Symbol Of Our History And Our Future.

The Ruthwell Cross is a magnificant 7th Century cross which is the oldest of its type on Mainland UK and twinned with another in Bewcastle in Cumbria. The cross has a checkered history and was condemned by The Church of Scotland during the The Reformation as being too papish. The cross was broken up and hidden in the graveyard, which the main part being conceled as a curch pue in the church itseld.  It was the rediscovered by two of the minister in the 18th century and follwong 20 years of reconstruction it stand in the church today as a testament to our heritage.  Incidentely...the Church of Scotland has never rescinded the condemnation of the cross and after 250 years.......

Our last full time minister, Jim Williamson, retired in 2009 and initially we were fortunate to have the excellent pastoral care and leadership of Rev Neil Campbell as our interim moderator, with Rev Logan Kirk as pulpit supply. Rev Kirk subsequently took over as Interim moderator and has since passed away, We were indeed fortunated to be ably handled by Rev Bill Holland for several years, who retired through ill health but is thriving in his retirement in Dumfries. We have been grateful for the attention of our Locum Minister, Rev Gerald Moule from Moffat, who has continued to encourage this successful union .

Our Congregational Life

We have a very active Kirk Session of twenty one elders who are joined by a further five to form the Congregational Board, all of whom work hard to ensure that the parish is in good spiritual health and organise various events as well as fund raising.

We have 200 members on our congregational role and we enjoy an attendance of around 15 at our Sunday worship in Ruthwell Church, although our communion services, which are held twice a year and our Chritstmas, Easter and Harvest Thanks giving services can attract up to 80 members.

Church And Faith

Fellowship is the aspect of Church Life, which bringa most joy to our members. There is a real sense that we have an opportunity, through our union of reaching out into the community and sharing God's love and message with young and old..