SUMMARY
At a church meeting on 25th May, 2025, there was an unanimous vote in favour of a linkage with St. Paul’s, Kinross, subject to a 5-year Diocesan grant to help pay for a joint Rector. A meeting of the congregation of St. Paul’s also agreed unanimously to the linkage. As linked charges both churches will stay independent, but share a full-time Rector. It is proposed that the Rector lives in Dollar.
Work has commenced to progress this and regular updates will be given.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2025
In April 2025 Vestry was approached by Bishop Ian regarding a potential linkage with our sister church, St Paul’s in Kinross. In recognition of Diocesan confidence in the potential for the two churches to thrive and grow, they offered financial support to employ a priest to look after both parishes.
Following discussions with St Paul’s, including review of our respective finances, both vestries were agreed that a partnership as a linked charge was a positive and exciting proposition. Consequently, we recommended taking a linkage forward and this was unanimously approved at the special meetings in our churches on 25th May. Both congregations will remain independent, retaining their own vestries and traditions but sharing the services of a Priest-in-Charge, who will also serve our wider communities.
Further discussions between representatives from the two vestries and the Diocese clarified the terms of the linkage [set out in a Memorandum of Agreement] and a Joint Profile for a new Priest-in-Charge.
It was agreed that the Priest-in-Charge would reside in St James’s Rectory. Whilst a welcome decision, behind the scenes it has been a challenge to ensure we can bring the Rectory and Parish Rooms up to standard, with numerous setbacks and considerable effort needed to secure additional funding. Essential electrical work and roof repairs in particular will be much more expensive than expected. However, all the monies required are now secured. The majority will be met by grant awards from the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Buildings Fund, the Clackmannanshire & Stirling Environmental Trust and Foundation Scotland/EDF. The remainder will come from the Rectory and Parish Rooms Funds and the balance of St James’s 2023/4 and 2024/5 fabric budgets. Roof repairs commenced in November 2025 and re-wiring is programmed for early January 2026, to be followed by re-decoration.
St Paul’s Rectory has undergone improvements and is now up for let, which will generate income to help pay for the new minister.
The next key step will be to advertise, interview and appoint the new Priest-in-Charge for St James and St Paul’s. Our representatives on the Joint Vacancy Committee are working with those of St Paul’s and the Diocese and an advert will be published in early December 2025.
It will be some time before we know who the new minister will be, and up to three months after that for them to take up their post, which may take us to May or even early June 2026. Vestry are thankful that the Revd. Elaine Ryder and Revd. Charles Sherlock are prepared to help us as much as they are able until then – it gives us much needed stability and continuity.