REV. JAMES G. LUNN

After a vacancy lasting eight months the Rev. James G. Lunn from Sherwood, Paisley, was inducted to Gilcomston on 10th June, 1924. There is much in the Deacons' Court about the obtaining of a new manse, which, it appears was promised Mr. Lunn before he came. Finally one with rooms large enough to take his grand piano was obtained in Albert Street. For a time things went well, but then, according to surviving members of the time, he seemed to lose interest. His sermons tended to depress due to lack of fire. This may have been due to the onset of an illness which several times prevented Mr. Lunn's attendance at officebearers meetings, and which required a serious operation in January, 1931.

Under Mr. Lunn there were certain innovations. In particular the Freewill Offering scheme was adopted on 22nd March, 1926 and the Wayside Pulpit was set up in May, 1933, from which time it has been used of God in many ways. But for all that, it can only he said that a certain poverty crept into the church. One manifestation is in the Record, where the initial paragraph for some seven Novembers running gives roughly the same message with slight variation in terminology. "The winter's work has begun and all the organisations are getting into their stride."

There is little or no other data of interest either in the Minutes or in the Records for this period, but, reading in from later proceedings it is clear that there was a break-down in communication between the minister and the officebearers. This came to a head at the Annual Meeting in February 1935 when the minister, without reference to the Session stated that unless the financial position and membership improved the Church would have to think either of union with another congregation, transfer to another place, or suppression of the charge. At the next meeting the Kirk Session dissociated itself from these sentiments and Mr. Lunn apologised for his failure to confer with the Court before making them. The Kirk Session went on to disagree with Mr. Lunn's assessment of the situation - membership 460, overdraft £130 - and pointed out that there was another avenue open which Mr. Lunn had not mentioned in his remarks: he could effect a change in the ministry.

In April, 1938 Mr. Lunn accepted a call to Abbey Church, Perth. Again there seems to have been a split in the membership, for, while the Session Clerk, James Fraser, knew of the impending move, the Clerk to the Deacons' Court, Samuel Troup, first heard of it when the Presbytery's sustaining of the call was announced in the local Press.

There was debate for some four months after Mr. Lunn left in June as to whether the congregation should continue at all. At length at a congregational meeting on 1st September the decision was taken to carry on, and a Vacancy Committee was formed soon after.