Worshippers visiting an Aberdeen church won’t have any pews to sit on this Christmas, after a late delivery of chairs from eastern Europe has been delayed until after the new year.
As part of a refurbishment project which began in January, the new seats for Midstocket Parish Church were ordered in July, with aim of getting them ready for one of the church’s busiest times of the year.
But earlier this week the church’s minister, the Reverend Sarah Nicol, was told by the company delivering them that the new chairs for the sanctuary won’t be in Aberdeen in time for the festive season.
Rev Nicol, who was inducted at Midstocket Parish in August 2013, said: “They were aiming to be here by the first week in December, but unfortunately there was a problem at the factory, so we were told they would be two weeks late.
“We had hoped they would arrive on the 19th or 20th so we could open on the 21st, but unfortunately it was confirmed they would not get here in time for Christmas.
“But we’re not giving up, we’re still going to celebrate Christmas and have our services at the church centre down the road at 35 Midstocket Road until we get the chairs, with a Christmas Eve service down there at 7pm and 11pm, there’s going to be carols galore and stories for all the little ones at the early one, with the later sermon for the grown-ups.
“The whole church has totally been done up, we have a new beautiful garden room with French windows so we can go out and see the patio area for social activities, and a totally new heating system complete with underfloor heating in the main church sanctuary.
“What we’ve decided to do is that because the sanctuary is just about ready, we’re going to open up at 2pm this coming Sunday and invite people to come in and see all the lovely new renovations.
“We could have had our morning service on Sunday as well, but people would have to stand for a whole hour and I don’t think they’d be too keen.
“It’s absolutely beautiful here now. It was beautiful before, but much darker, but the space here now is amazing, it’s so much brighter.”