Who we are
Scot’s Kirk Newcastle is a church for all who need to hear the best news of all – news that will change your life and the lives of all around you. We seek to be a community of people that follows Jesus Christ. If you are looking for a church, you are welcome – come and see. If you could never imagine going to church – you are welcome – come and find out.
What to expect at services on a Sunday
We meet twice – 9:30 am for the traditional service and ‘Alive at 5’ at 5pm – which has a somewhat different flavour!
We sing praise to God, pray and hear what he has to say to us through his word, the Bible. We seek to apply the Bible personally and corporately, to the contemporary world we live in. Both services are suitable for Christians and non-Christians.
Provision is made for parents and children.
Both services last around an hour and there is an opportunity for refreshments afterwards.
It’s difficult to describe what it is like – perhaps have a look at one of the services online – or better still come along and see for yourself. You will not be asked to sign up for anything, or do anything that you do not want to do. And we don;t have a dress code – just come as you are….And there will be opportunity to ask questions and find out more.
What We Believe
We Believe:
- Jesus is Lord
- The Bible is God’s Word
- We need to come to God the Father, by the risen Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit
We hold to the traditional teachings of all major churches as expressed in the historical creeds.
We are Evangelical, Reformed and Confessional.
Evangelical in that it is the message of Jesus, the good news – the best news! Jesus ushers in the rule of God that Jesus rescues us and, indeed, his entire creation.
Reformed in that we are included with the centuries-old churches accepting the Scriptures as the written word of God and cling to faith in the grace of God, not by anything that we do.
Confessional in that the convictions of our faith that we align ourselves to are expressed in the significant historical statements, creeds and confessions of the character of God. We are committed to the full and formal confession of the Westminster Confession of Faith read in the light of a Declaratory Statement which is the doctrinal statement of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
These are maintained through the following biblical convictions:
Is God’s inspired Word and the Supreme standard of our doctrine and belief. It is sufficient for all that God requires of us to believe and do.
One living, true and eternal God who exists eternally and in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father who is both fully God and fully human. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
The Holy Spirit regenerates us to respond to God in faith and repentance pointing us to and uniting us in Jesus. He empowers us and enables spiritual gifts for the purpose of building up the church.
Our sin has separated us from God. We are saved from the consequence of sin by the grace of God that is granted when we accept the conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation is available in Jesus alone and is dependent for life eternal upon God alone for provision and assurance.
We believe the holy, universal church, the body of Christ. All believers are members united in peace and love for one another and the world.
Scots Kirk is one of the many earthly churches visibly expressing this as a gathered family.
We believe that Jesus will return one day in glory as he promised. His return will be as Judge and King realising the perfect and consummated Kingdom of God.
What we do
We exist as a church to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to as many of the people of Newcastle as we can. We also exist as a church to help Christians grow, those who are seeking to find, and to bring healing to those who are broken, confused and wounded. We summarise this in the phrase “our main purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”. There are many ways to do that but like other churches we want to focus on prayer, the word of God, fellowship and communion together. More of this is, or will be, explained on the rest of this website. But if you have any questions please do feel free to get in touch….
Sharing the Good News
Called to Serve The Community
Small Groups
Prayer
Gathered Worship
We also encourage one another as we care for and are cared for by one another, not just during the service but also by the fellowship before and following the service.
Preach God’s Word
Our minister and elders work together to lead and oversee the spiritual life of the church. We come from different backgrounds with different gifts, but we all serve together under our Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
The Church is a body, and each person has a part to play.
Meet Our Minister
Our minister, David Robertson is from Scotland. David was born in 1962, educated at the University of Edinburgh and the Free Church College in Edinburgh. He is married to Annabel who is a social worker. They have three children, Andrew, Becky and Emma Jane and five grandchildren.
David was a Presbyterian minister for the Free Church of Scotland in Scotland for two churches – Brora (1986-1992), and St Peter’s in Dundee (1992-2019). David and Annabel moved to Sydney in 2019 to work with City Bible Forum and then with Evangelism and New Church, before coming to Scots Kirk in November of 2023.
Our Leadership
As a Presbyterian Church, we are governed by a group of elders responsible for the spiritual leadership and spiritual oversight of the church.
The corporate services of the church are performed through a Committee of Management under the direction of the Session.
Every Member Ministry
We seek to be a church where every member knows and uses their gifts. We encourage one another as we care for and are cared for by one another, not just during the service but also by the fellowship before and following worship. And as each of our members use their gifts the in the life of the church, individual and church wide growth and maturity is achieved.
Our Story
Scots Kirk Newcastle, a part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, was founded in 1855.
The present church was founded and opened for worship in 1887 and has been described as a lighthouse for the Word of God in the community for those many years. Worship has remained the centre focus for the local communities since then.
Scots Kirk tends to be more of a central church than a suburban church as the community represents a cross-section of the wider Newcastle community and beyond.
Our style of worship is fairly traditional but relaxed . We are a welcoming group encouraging each other in hearing God’s word, praying and singing together.
Would you like to know a little more about the historical perspective of this iconic church?
We can provide the following publications* for you:
- Hamilton Presbyterian Parish; 1882 – 1982
- Heritage Stained Glass Windows at Scots Kirk: A history of their origin, creation, construction and restoration.
*Available from the church office on request.
