Minister: Rev Alasdair F Cameron B.D., C.A.

Pastoral Assistant: Miss Fiona Morrison

Glasgow Road , Paisley  PA1 3PA

Telephone:        0141-889 7060

e-mail:   Church Office

e-mail:       Webmaster

Church Information

Organisations

Scottish Charity No:   SC007484

THE SHERWOOD GREENLAW STORY

Sherwood Greenlaw Church came into being as a result of the union of the former Greenlaw Church and the former Sherwood Church.

Greenlaw Church was originally established by the kirk session of Paisley Abbey to meet the need for the extension of the Abbey's mission to what was then the New Town development in the east end of Paisley. The proposal to establish the new church was first considered by the Abbey kirk session in February 1887, and the opening dedication service of the new church was held on 19th January 1889. Greenlaw remained as what was known as a "Chapel of Ease" associated with the Abbey until it was raised to full status as a separate charge on 30th March 1896.

Sherwood Church had its beginnings in 1891 as a daughter church of the Free High (later Orr Square Church of Scotland). Following the Disruption of 1843, there were six Free Churches in town, but until the formation of Sherwood there were no new churches built in the town by the Free Church. Sherwood was the Free Church's first and only pre-union church extension charge in Paisley, and just as Greenlaw had been built by the Church of Scotland to serve the needs of the expanding New Town in the east end of Paisley, so Sherwood was built by the Free Church for the same purpose. Thus it came about that there were two large churches in close proximity to one another in the east end of Paisley, one being the Church of Scotland and the other the Free Church.

In 1900 Sherwood, along with many other Free Churches, entered into a union with the United Presbyterian Church to form the the United Free Church of Scotland, and later still in 1929 came back into the reformed Church of Scotland.

Sherwood's commodious suite of halls was opened in 1925, and is a credit to the vision and generosity of the far-sighted members of those days.

The Service of Union of the two congregations took place on 22nd January 1997. As part of the Basis of Union, it was agreed that the place of worship should be Sherwood Church whose halls would suffice for the needs of the new congregation.