Out of a Scout Hut and Into a Listed Church: How an RCCG Congregation Bought an Empty Edinburgh Building With a Mortgage

• A Redeemed Christian Church of God congregation bought St Christopher’s, a former Church of Scotland building in Craigentinny
• The C-listed church had stood closed for two years before the sale
• Negotiations began in 2017 and the congregation moved in during 2018
• The church raised a deposit and financed the rest with a mortgage

A Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) congregation in Edinburgh outgrew one home after another before buying a church of its own, the National Churches Trust reported in February 2024. The congregation now worships in the former St Christopher’s Church in Craigentinny, a C-listed building close to a century old that had belonged to the Church of Scotland.

The church had been meeting in a scout venue. “There’s a scout camp venue [that our church was based in] and the place was actually too small,” said Rufai, the congregation’s minister. Numbers kept rising, and the search for a bigger home led to St Christopher’s, which had been closed and locked for two years. Negotiations began in 2017 and the congregation moved in during 2018.

The building was not bought outright. The congregation raised a deposit through the generosity of members and by reaching out to local and international connections, then took out a mortgage for the rest. Around 200 to 300 people now attend on Sundays.

Reopening the building brought back some of its past. “Many people thought this church had been closed because the church had been shut down for two years,” Rufai said. “When we came in, we saw the local people – people that attended this church before!” The church now runs kickboxing, music and dance groups, food parcels, winter jackets, free school uniforms and counselling, with plans for English and IT classes and a nursery for single parents. It has received National Churches Trust grants of £5,000 for roof and floor repairs and £9,965 for kitchen and toilet improvements.

Owning a historic building brings upkeep costs, and the trust’s support shows how growing congregations can get help to maintain what they buy.

The story echoes the path taken by Caribbean churches in Britain since the Windrush years: meet wherever space can be found, grow, pool resources and buy a building. For Jamaican congregations and diaspora supporters, the Edinburgh purchase shows that a mortgage, a strong deposit and support from a wider network can turn an empty church into a busy community hub.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com