New Kingdom Hall set for Rutherglen

Jul 27 2011 by Will Henshaw, Rutherglen Reformer

THERE will be a new state-of-the-art Kingdom Hall in Rutherglen to replace the building which has stood at Farme Cross for half a century.

Jehovah's Witnesses have used their Kingdom Hall in Baronald Street continuously since it opened in 1958.

Back then the congregation numbered only 45. However, over the years, membership has grown and to date they have 120 members from Rutherglen, Cambuslang, Burnside, Cathkin, Toryglen, Bridgeton and Tollcross.

Over the years, the hall has been enlarged several times to accommodate the expanding congregation. However, wear and tear has affected the building over the passage of time. In 1994 it suffered from floods which affected the whole area and four years later the roof was ripped off during the Boxing Day storm.

Rather than spending considerable sums repairing the existing building again - and also to meet modern environmental standards - the congregation have decided to replace it, and the new hall should be ready for use in the autumn.

The existing building is scheduled for demolition on August 1 and the new hall should be ready for use by the end of October.

The local congregation have been raising cash for several years and now have sufficient funds in place to finance the project.

James Wood, an elder with the Rutherglen Kingdom Hall, said: “It will be a different shape from the old one as it will be built to modern standards and will also be environmentally friendly. It will have toilet facilities for the disabled, cameras and screens for those who use sign language. All our buildings are based on function rather than elaborative. We like to make sure our buildings are comfortable and well furnished, with additional rooms should we need to hold any additional meetings.”

Jehovah's Witnesses have developed a cost-effective and efficient method of quickly-built Kingdom Halls and have already constructed at least 35 such halls in Scotland, from Stranraer to Shetland. The tradesmen - all Witnesses - travel at their own expense from all over Scotland to assist with these projects. These events are marked by a spirit of co-operation and brotherhood. All labour is volunteered. At the same time, the project is handled in a professionally organised fashion, having regard to current health and safety legislation.