Our History
Whilst the building we currently use was originally built as a school, it has been home to a worshipping community for over a hundred years. And even before that, there there was still a mission group active in the area. They would hold outdoor meetings and share the love of Jesus in practical ways (The Old Aberdeen Mission). They were the ones who bought the building and established a church community here. The shape of the Mission has changed over the years; increased and decreased and merged and evolved, but it has never weakened that original desire of those open-air evangelists to share the good news of Jesus.
1881
The Old Aberdeen Mission was established and began hosting open-air meetings and assisting with the needs of the poor in the area.
1901
The old school building was bought by a local mission group to be a more fixed location for their evangelistic meetings. The school legacy lives on in the records and the building is often referred to as ‘Dr. Bell’s School’. In keeping with the culture of the day, the church community saw great success through choir ministries, Sunday schools, midweek bible studies and sewing classes. Interestingly, in the church records of this time they referred to the members of the church as ‘workers’. They knew they were ‘on mission’ for the Lord.
1940-46
The Mission Church buildings were commandeered for the war effort. They were used as offices for military personnel, and the church community hired the nearby townhouse for their Sunday gatherings.
1974
The church community merged with another mission group ‘the Gordon Mission’. They had previously owned premises in the city centre but decreasing numbers on both sides led them to feel it was better to join forces.
1981
A celebration was held to mark a hundred years of Mission effort in the area. They were aware, however, that the shape was not what it once was. Numbers were low and momentum was slow. In the centenary report it stated “We give thanks to God for the many friends from outside the Mission who help the work to carry on.”
2000
The Mission Church started a new chapter when it merged once again with another congregation. A new vision for the ministry was established as the church began to explore creative ways of doing mission. Central to its ethos was that this building should continue to share the good news of Jesus, whether that is through the church community that worships here, or the many organisations that it hosts and supports.