Our Church, our town, our community
To help make Armadale Parish Church a place where everyone matters and every person both contributes to, and benefits from, the work and fellowship of this congregation.
Morning Services are held at 11.00am every Sunday (a creche is available.)
Evening Services are held at 6.30pm on the first Sunday of each month.
Sunday School is held at 11.00am each Sunday in the Large Hall
Rev. Julia C. Wiley
Rev. Julia C. Wiley M.A. (C.E.) M. Div. was inducted on 1st September 2010. A native of the American state of Missouri, she lived in Virginia, Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia for nearly 25 years before coming to Scotland in 2009.
Julia had been in non-ordained ministry for 10 years, working in the educational ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA). After her ordination as Minister of Word and Sacrament, she served one church as full-time minister and another as interim minister -- both in the metro Atlanta area. In between, she was a chaplain for Peachtree Hospice in Atlanta for two years.
Having fallen in love with Scotland during two holidays here, she returned to be a resident, beginning with a year of familiarisation before being allowed to seek a full-time position as parish minister. When she met the folks of Armadale Parish Church, it didn't take long for things to fall into place. Julia finished the familiarisation on 31 July 2010, preached as sole nominee in Armadale on 1 August, and was elected as minister that day.
Julia served as Moderator for the Presbytery of West Lothian for a year beginning September 2019. She is currently the Moderator for the newly formed Presbytery of Edinburgh and West Lothian.
Julia is assisted by:
| Parish Assistant/Deacon | |
| Session Clerks | Lesley Patterson |
| Marilyn Simpson | |
| Treasurer | Mr Colin Cairns |
| Church Officer | Mr Hugh Haston |
Armadale Parish Church (pre 1915)
Built in 1863, by Bathgate Presbyterian Parish Church as a mission station, our church was originally known as Armadale Free Kirk. It remained a chapel of ease for almost twenty years and was initially served by Mr William Kerr who was received as a Preacher of the Gospel by the Linlithgow Presbytery on the 20 October 1863. Mr. Kerr served in Armadale until he was lost at sea, whilst travelling on the SS London to Australia, in January 1866.†
The church was elevated from a mission to the status of full charge in 1884. Rev. Robert Cameron, the first Minister of the Parish, organised a three-day bazaar which raised enough funds to enable the church to become a quoad sacra parish. Rev. Cameron served the parish until his death in 1909 after which a memorial tablet was erected on the south side of the chancel.††
Rev. John Drew (minister from 1909 - 1922) had the Church building enlarged and transformed the interior "making the church one of the finest places of worship in the district."††† Rev. Drew also built a new manse on High Academy Street and arranged for the relocation of a Y.M.C.A. hut from Turnhouse Airport to serve as the church hall. These projects were initiated before the Great War, in which Rev. Drew served in McCrae's Battalion (16 Battn. of the Royal Scots), and were completed on his return to ministerial duties after the war.†††
Armadale Parish Church (postmarked 1925)
During the ministry of Rev. Alexander A Morton (1928 - 1931), our Church became known as West Church to distinguish it from the United Free Church on South Street (which was renamed East Church in 1931). In 1976, the church building on South Street was demolished and the two churches amalgamated. After this union, during the term of Rev. Emmanuel Robertson, our church came to be known as Armadale Parish Church.
