About Us – St Margaret's Scottish Episcopal Church

CLERGY

Rev. Canon Gordon Fyfe, Rector

Rev. Canon Prof. David Jasper, Assistant Priest

Rev. Canon Prof. Charlotte Methuen, Assistant Priest

Rev. Mary Bowden, Associate Priest

VESTRY

The Vestry is responsible for temporal affairs, general management and administration of St. Margaret’s. Members include the Rector, the Lay Representative, Rector’s Warden, People’s Warden and up to ten Ordinary members elected at the Annual General Meeting.

The Vestry meets regularly to address issues of relevance to St. Margaret’s.

Any member of the Congregation can contact the Vestry through the People’s Warden or the Vestry Secretary.

CONGREGATION

Our congregation is diverse, comprising people from many different countries, Christian traditions and ages. We like to think of ourselves as inclusive and affirming.

BUILDING

We are fortunate to be custodians of a beautiful building that invariably surprises first time visitors, and those who regularly return are always uplifted. Our church is open to the community and has been used for various activities- from a filming set, community choirs, concerts, weddings, funerals and weight-loss classes.

It is a B listed building of significant architectural interest, designed by Peter McGregor Chalmers, and built at the beginning of the last century. It is built in the Romanesque style, a form popular in Edwardian times, although St Margaret’s displays continental influences, being described as a German Double Ender, a basilica with a double apse.

Stone built, it is a building of captivating harmonious proportions – solid walls, smallwindows, rounded arches, and a high barrel-vaulted roof. The ceilings of its two apses have mosaics of wonderful beauty. Additionally, the church houses a renowned collection of some 26 stained glass windows in a range of artistic styles, the collection accumulating from the 1920s to the 2000s.

A video walk-through of the Church

Church Building Brochure Download

MUSIC

Michael Bawtree, Director of Music

Conductor and Organist Michael Bawtree served as Assistant Director of Music at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Suffolk before moving to Scotland in 2004. A graduate of Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, he is an experienced performer and recitalist. Michael has broadcast on BBC Radio, Radio New Zealand and Radio France Music, and given organ recitals across the UK, Europe and the USA. Michael is Director of the Glasgow Chamber Choir, Chorus Director of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union, a guest conductor for Scottish Ballet, assistant music director for the Lyrique-en-Mer opera festival in France and a member of the Academic Studies department at the RSAMD. He has conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Our Choir

A enthusiastic choir of approximately fifteen adults provides music for the 10.30am Sung Eucharist most Sundays of the year. (Rehearsals take place both before and after the service at 9.45-10.15am and 12.15-12.45pm).

The Choir also sings at occasional evening services including Compline, Choral Evensong, and seasonal services for Advent, Christmas , Lent and Passiontide.

We are always keen to welcome new singers so please get in touch if you are interested. Both adults and trebles are welcome.

COMMUNITY

‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
Matthew 22:37-40

We live out our faith and help meet the needs in our community by supporting the work of some of the charities on the Southside.

These are some of the various charities we have supported:

Pollokshaws Area Network. They work with local people to have opportunities to learn new skills, improve their health and wellbeing, participate fully in community life and have a say in the decisions which affect them, their families and the local community where they live. Find out more about PAN here.
MusicALL. MusicALL increases the participation and visibility of young people with Additional Support for Learning needs in society. As their talents flourish and grow we are all challenged to think differently. Click here to find out more about their work.
Glasgow Interfaith Food Justice Network. Their work brings together local groups and organisations in Glasgow who are working to tackle food poverty in their areas. More on their work here.
Children 1st. They provide practical and emotional support to families across the country. They support families cope and children to recover from trauma and communities to rebuild resilience. Here is more on what they do.
The Jobclub at Pollokshaws Methodist Church. They provide and advice for people seeking employment. More on their work.