Bertha Park is an exciting new development on the edge of Perth. Once completed, the area will have around 3000 homes, many of which will be typical family homes. The area also consists of beautiful new high school and has many developing local amenities such as a café, take away and small shop.

The Presbytery of Perth designated this brand-new location a Presbytery Mission Initiative (PMI). This allows local congregations to support outreach in an area outside of their parish.

Perth Riverside Church Leaders took on the role of supervising the work which has developed through a PMI Core Leadership Team and Anne Stott, the Community Minister.

“This mission initiative provides an exciting opportunity to dream about how to develop a new Christian community.  It is also an opportunity for us to help Bertha Park fulfil its potential to be a great neighbourhood and community.” (Perth Riverside Church)

After a small number of years of planning and development through borrowing space and working with volunteers to run fantastic projects such as a foodbank. A place of worship was opened in mid-September as a base for mission and the community minister.

Since it’s opening it has been a thriving community hub offering a range of activities for all: Bertha Blethers - a lunch club, Youth drop ins in partnership with the YMCA Tayside, taster sessions for pre-schoolers, Coffee & Chat drop ins, Bertha Park Residents' Group meetings and community council meetings.

As a Presbytery we are excited about the opportunities for mission and delighted at the progress being made at Bertha Park.

"It is a clear sign that the Church of Scotland is active within our communities and can reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ without necessarily having a conventional church building in doing so….We believe that the Bertha Park project points to the exciting future that the Church has in communities throughout our Presbytery” (Rev Dr John Ferguson, Clerk to Perth Presbytery).

Those involved at grass roots level share the same enthusiasm:

"It's exciting to see how a new church might develop in a completely new housing area and finding new ways of being church that work for this century” (Rev Ann Stott, Community Minister).

Join us as we continue to pray for the people in Bertha Park and the ministry there.