United Church of Bute

The United Church of Bute

The United Church of Bute was formed in 1999 through the union of five island congregations - Ascog, Craigmore St Brendan's, Kingarth and Kilchattan Bay, North Bute and Rothesay High Kirk. The congregation has rationalised its buildings and now occupies a single church complex located in Rothesay and is part of the Presbytery of Argyll.

We are a congregation of around 600 and one of two Church of Scotland congregations on the Isle of Bute—our sister church being Rothesay Trinity with which we form a Parish Grouping
The parish covers the whole island—Rothesay, Port Bannatyne, Kilchattan Bay, Straad and rural area

The United Church of Bute is served by a minister and a deacon.

Minister	Rev J Owain Jones	UCB Manse, Bishop Terrace	01700 504502

Deacon	Raymond Deans	60 Ardmory Road, Rothesay	01700 504893

Church Office		UCB Church Centre, High Street, Rothesay

Vision Statement

The Vision of the United Church of Bute is to be a “7 days-a-week church”,
spreading Christ’s message through a highly motivated congregation,
together serving and supporting our members and the wider community,
through a variety of worship, the development of fellowship
and the Christian care of those in need.

Visiting the church building

Under the Scotland's Churches Scheme, the doors of the church are open every Friday afternoon from 2 - 4 pm during July and August to provide visitors and members with the opportunity for quiet contemplation and prayer, or just to see the interior of the church and have a cup of coffee. Rev Owain Jones, our minister, will also be in the church office on most Friday mornings from 10 am and will be pleased to allow entry to the church via the church centre door on the lower path.

The Island

The Isle of Bute is the second biggest of the four main islands in the Firth of Clyde and is 15 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point. The surrounding waters are fed by the Gulf Stream which keeps the climate very temperate—so mild that palm trees flourish on Rothesay’s sea front. The population of the island is just over 7,000—about 80% of the inhabitants live in the principal town of Rothesay and the adjacent village of Port Bannatyne. Smaller settlements exist at Kilchattan Bay, Kingarth, Kerrycroy and Straad, but most of the remaining population live on the island’s many farms.

Links to the Mainland

There are two ferries to the island. The main route is by car and passenger ferry from Wemyss Bay—a crossing which takes about half an hour, with sailings every 45 minutes at peak times. Trains to Glasgow meet most of the sailings. The link to Argyll is by a five minute crossing from the north end of the island to Colintraive