In Spring 1979, the Nazarene Church (the first one) on Elm Street was constantly broken into and 2 organs were stolen. Right through that month, a systematic campaign of vandalism by youths saw the church decline rapidly.
By the end of March 1979, an announcement was made that the Church was to be demolished. There were no windows left, all smashed out and the old building, boarded up.
The wife of Pastor William Mackie commented, “The vandals have almost demolished the place by themselves. They smashed the place up one particular night and must have had a van as organs were also taken away.”
After the vandalism by March 1979, the Nazarene had given up on the premises and moved into the Stonefield Parish Hall on Stonefield Road. Blantyre didn’t even have to wait for demolition contractors. Further vandalism created a fire later in 1979, causing the old Nazarene Church to burn down completely, the third church in Blantyre to do so in just 2 years.
Another church on Elm Street was to be built but that took a few more years to come about.
From the book, “Blantyre Explained” by Paul Veverka (c) 2018
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