Notices
A Church in the Community for the Community
To glorify God by…
Preaching
Preaching his word.
Reaching out
Making Christ known in every household in the village and seeing people come to faith in him.
Community
Finding the needs in our community and seeking to meet them.
Growing
Promoting spiritual growth and discipleship in all our lives.
Caring
Loving, caring for and supporting each other and those in the community.
Serving
Recognising each person's gifts and equipping God's people to serve him in the world.
Welcoming
Being a welcoming, open and accessible church.
Join us this Sunday
Morning service at 11:15am and evening service at 6:30pm. You'll get a warm welcome. Come as you are: there's no dress code.
Our Events
Find out what's coming up at Plains
Nothing in this category yet. Try another one.
Follow us on Facebook
Notices, special events and news from Plains Evangelical Church are posted on our Facebook page first.
Good news worth hearing
What is the Christian message, and why does it matter? Watch this short message from Christianity Explored.
New here?
Whether you've never been to church before or you're looking for a new church home, you'll be very welcome at Plains Evangelical Church. Here's what to expect.
When we meet
Sunday 11:15am, morning service.
Sunday 6:30pm, evening service.
Each service lasts between one and one and a quarter hours.
Wednesday 7:30pm, Midweek Study & Prayer.
What happens
You'll get a friendly welcome at the door. We sing, pray, read the Bible together and hear it explained.
The morning service is more contemporary, with our worship band; the evening service is more traditional, with the organ and songs from Mission Praise. Come as you are: there's no dress code.
Children
Children are very welcome. In the family service, children leave for Sunday School after the first part of the service.
During the week there's Kingzone for P1–P7 and Toddlers for pre-school children. Our leaders follow our safeguarding policy.
Getting here
201 Main Street, Plains, Airdrie, ML6 7JQ, in between The New Pantry and The Community Centre.
Parking is available in front of the church. There's a step-free entrance and an accessible toilet.
Questions people often ask
Do I need to be a Christian to come?
Not at all. Everyone is welcome, whatever you believe. Come and see for yourself, ask questions, and take your time.
Will I be asked to do anything?
No. You're welcome to simply sit, listen and take part as much or as little as you like.
What about the Lord's Supper?
We share the Lord's Supper on Sundays, at least twice a month. It's open to everyone who sincerely loves the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. If you'd rather not take part, that's absolutely fine.
Who can I talk to?
Our Pastor, Mark Nelson, or any of the team will be glad to chat after the service. You can also get in touch before you come.
What we believe
Plains Evangelical Church is an independent evangelical church. We are a Bible-believing church, and this is our Declaration of Faith.
The Bible
The Scriptures are fully inspired by God. They do not only contain the word of God but are themselves the complete word of God, without error, and in all things the final authority. The New Testament is a reliable testimony to the character and authorship of the Old Testament. The Scriptures can only be truly and spiritually understood as a whole through the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
One God
God is one, and the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are divinely equal.
God is sovereign
God is supreme and sovereign in Creation, in Providence (all things work to bring about God's glory) and in Redemption.
Our need
Human nature is wholly sinful as a result of the fall, and we are in total need of new birth (regeneration).
Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is truly and properly divine, and was born of a virgin. Though truly God, he is really and perfectly human. His teaching has power and authority, and everything he said was perfectly correct and without fault. By suffering and dying as a substitute for the sinners of the world he secured atonement for us. He rose from the dead in his body and went up into heaven, and he is now interceding for his people at the right hand of the Father.
Justified by faith
The sinner is justified only by faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit
The work of the Holy Spirit is needed in regeneration, conversion and sanctification, and also in ministry and worship.
The Church
Christ is the head of his body, the universal Church, which includes all the redeemed: those called by God through the Gospel, born of the Spirit and justified by faith. The local church is made up of believers as an expression of the universal Church, and fellowship between such churches shows the unity of the body of Christ.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We hold to the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not believe that Baptism in any way results in regenerating grace, or that the Lord's Supper is in any way a sacrifice for sin or involves any change in the substance of the bread and wine.
Christ's return
The Lord Jesus Christ will return personally in glory.
Resurrection and judgement
We believe in the resurrection of the body, and the judgement of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the eternal blessedness of the righteous and the eternal punishment of the wicked.
Our practice
Baptism is by immersion, and only for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Communion at the Lord's Table is open to all who sincerely love the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Independent, but not alone
Being independent means we are not governed by any denomination or organisation outside our local eldership. But we don't believe we should be isolated, so we are affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). The FIEC gives us support and accountability through its own statement of faith, which we have signed up to.
Our team
Plains Evangelical Church is led by a team of Elders (including the Pastor), who oversee the spiritual issues of the church, and Deacons, who oversee the practical needs of the church.
Mark Nelson
Pastor
Charles Conaghan
Elder and Treasurer
Pearl McCracken
Deacon and Secretary
Hazel Conaghan
Deacon and Children's Work Co-ordinator
About our pastor
Mark Nelson
Our pastor, Mark, is married to Sheena and they have three daughters: Leah, Lois and Lydia.
He grew up in Glasgow, where he attended church, school and university, studying to become an electronic engineer. During his final year of university, God called him to Bible College.
He studied for two years at the Faith Mission Bible College, where he met Sheena, from the Republic of Ireland.
After college, Mark and Sheena got married and moved to Durham, where they worked with the Faith Mission for seven years. During this time Mark knew a real sense of a calling from God to become a full-time pastor.
He gained a lot of experience working with small churches across the North-East and became recognised by the FIEC's Pastors' Network.
In June 2016, Mark and the family moved to Caldercruix and Mark took up the Pastor position at Plains Evangelical.
He has a heart to see Christians grow in their spiritual walk through the teaching of the Bible, and the Church grow through the preaching of the Gospel.
How the church is run
The Elders are responsible for leading and managing the church. New Elders are proposed by the Elders and elected by the members. The Deacons help the Elders by serving in specific practical areas. The church holds its Annual General Meeting each May. The way the church is run is set out in our Constitution.
Sundays @ PEC
Our services
We have a morning service at 11:15am and an evening service at 6:30pm. Our services are between one and one and a quarter hours long. Come as you are: there's no dress code. We run two different styles of service on a Sunday at Plains Evangelical.
Morning service
In the morning service, a member of the church will lead, whilst the singing is accompanied by our worship band, where the songs are more modern. There will then be a children's talk or video and a song before the children leave for Sunday School. This is held in the side room and run by our PVG-verified helpers. The Pastor will preach for around 30 minutes before our worship band closes the service.
Evening service
The evening service is a more traditional style. Our Pastor leads the service, whilst our organist accompanies our singing, where the songs are usually taken from Mission Praise. The Pastor will then preach before closing the service with a song. Sometimes our usual evening service format takes the form of a praise and sharing night or a missionary night.
The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper is at the end of the service, alternating week about between the morning and evening services.
Everyone who sincerely loves the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord is welcome to share in the Lord's Supper.
Baptism
Baptism is by immersion, for those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Speak to one of the Elders if you'd like to be baptised.
Small groups
As well as our regular Wednesday Bible study, we also run other small groups throughout the year.
- Midweek Study & Prayer
- Wednesdays, 7:30pm, at the church. Everyone is welcome.
How to find us
We're on Main Street in Plains, just outside Airdrie, in between The New Pantry and The Community Centre.
By car
From Glasgow or Airdrie
Take the A89 towards Bathgate and Edinburgh. After leaving the Clarkston area of Airdrie, follow the road round a sharp bend to the right (past the Church of Scotland). After entering Plains, follow the road along until you see The New Pantry on your left. The church is the next building.
From Edinburgh or Bathgate
Take the A89 towards Airdrie and Coatbridge. After passing Caldercruix on your right, you will pass under the railway bridge. The church is around 400m on the right, in between The New Pantry and The Community Centre.
By rail
The church sits on the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link, which runs between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley with a half-hourly service. The nearest station is Drumgelloch, a 15-minute walk along the A89. Walk up Towers Road and turn right onto the main road (past Tesco Metro).
By bus
The McGill's 212 service to Caldercruix connects Coatbridge Central Station with Plains, via Airdrie and Drumgelloch, and runs every half hour.
Our address
Plains Evangelical Church
201 Main Street
Plains
Airdrie
ML6 7JQ
Parking: in front of the church.
Access: step-free entrance and accessible toilet.
Our history
The God of the impossible has kept a witness to Jesus in the village of Plains for well over a hundred years.
- 1900
The beginning
Mr Robert McCracken began a work for God in the village of Plains. At this time Plains was a fairly small mining community.
For 20 years he held a Sabbath School, Bible Class and Gospel Meetings in the small Co-operative hall. However, by 1920, this was no longer available to him.
- 1920
"Out of the question"
Robert McCracken began to pray that God would provide premises so the work in Plains could continue. Many advised Bob that building a hall in Plains was "out of the question". Bob, however, trusted completely in a mighty God who is the God of the impossible.
He gained permission to demolish two disused brick chimneys at local collieries to provide bricks for the proposed Mission Hall. Over 14,000 bricks were taken to the site of the new building in October 1920, with a further 14,000 delivered shortly after.
- 1921
Plains Mission Hall opens
After months of hard work and many unforeseen difficulties, the building was completed and opened on 20 March 1921.
- 1995
Plains Evangelical Church
God has kept a witness in Plains from that day to this. Christ's ongoing work depends on active steps of faith, and so on 5 November 1995 Plains Mission Hall became a full-time independent church serving Christ in the village of Plains.
Shortly after, the name was changed to Plains Evangelical Church to reflect this step of faith. The new church was led by three Elders: William McCracken, Jim Jack and Alan McKnight.
- 1998
A bigger building
God has continued to bless the church in more ways than one. Many have been saved and come to know Jesus personally. In October 1998 the church completed a major renovation and extension, lengthening the building to the east side, creating a new kitchen and two extra rooms, and refurbishing the rest of the building.
- 2001
Our first pastor
Believing the Lord had a mighty work to do in Plains, the church felt prompted to call its first full-time Pastor. On 24 March 2001, almost 80 years to the day after the building was established, the church inducted Alan McKnight, one of the serving Elders, as its first full-time Pastor.
- Since
Recent years
Plains Evangelical Church has become an affiliated member of the FIEC, keeping its independence as a local church while working with other like-minded independent churches.
In 2016, the church called its second Pastor, Mark Nelson.
Membership
Church members are people who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and have committed themselves to the life and work of Plains Evangelical Church.
Who can become a member
Members are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and have been baptised as believers. Applicants are accepted once the Elders are satisfied as to their faith in Christ.
We practise baptism by immersion, following belief. We also recognise that some Christians hold other principled views on baptism. If that's you, the Elders can still admit you to membership at their discretion.
What membership involves
By joining the church, members commit to:
- attend public worship regularly, including the Lord's Supper
- give regularly to the church's finances, as the Lord has prospered them
- use their gifts in the service of Christ and his church
- keep the spirit of Christian love and unity
- show Christian character in all things
- share in fulfilling the Lord's commission in Matthew 28:19–20
How to apply
- Read what we believe and our Constitution.
- Fill in the membership application form. It asks about you, how you came to faith in Jesus, baptism and any previous church.
- Give the completed form to one of the Elders.
Filling in the form doesn't make you a member. It helps the Elders as they go through the application with you.
Documents
- ConstitutionPDF
- Membership application formPDF to print · Word
Safeguarding
We want everyone who comes to Plains Evangelical Church to be safe and well cared for: children, young people and adults alike. We pay particular attention to those who may be more vulnerable than others.
Our commitment
- We treat everyone with courtesy and respect, and uphold their dignity and worth.
- We have a written safeguarding policy and procedures that all our workers follow, and we review it every year.
- Our main group leaders are checked through the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, and we provide training where it's needed.
- We support and care for anyone who tells us they have been harmed, and report concerns to the right authorities.
- We listen carefully to concerns and complaints and respond fairly and openly.
Raising a concern
Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Hazel Conaghan. To raise a concern, send us a message using our contact form and choose "Safeguarding concern". It will be passed on, in confidence, to the right person.
If your concern involves Hazel, or she's unavailable, speak to our Pastor, Mark Nelson. If it involves both, speak to another Elder.
Further independent advice is available from Christian Safeguarding Services.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
FIEC
Plains Evangelical Church is an independent evangelical church. This means we are a Bible-believing church that is not governed by any denomination or organisation outside our local eldership.
That said, we don't believe we should be isolated. So we are affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), a family of independent churches across the UK. The FIEC gives us support and accountability through its own statement of faith and associated documents, which we have signed up to.
Kingzone
A great place for kids to belong! Our club for primary school children is full of games, crafts, friends and faith.
- Games
- Crafts
- Friends
- Faith
- When
- Mondays, 6:30pm to 7:30pm, during term time. Kingzone doesn't meet when the schools are off, including in-service days and Monday holidays.
- Who
- Primary school children, P1 to P7 (ages 5 to 12)
- Where
- Plains Evangelical Church, 201 Main Street, Plains, Airdrie, ML6 7JQ
- Safeguarding
- Our leaders follow our safeguarding policy. Read about safeguarding.
Toddlers
Play, meet, grow. A warm welcome for little ones and their grown-ups. All are welcome!
- Play together
- Sing songs
- Fun activities
- Bible stories
- Tea, coffee & chat
- When
- Wednesdays, 10am to 11:15am, during term time
- Who
- All pre-school children, with their parents, grandparents or carers
- Where
- Plains Evangelical Church, 201 Main Street, Plains, Airdrie, ML6 7JQ
Drop In
A warm welcome for everyone. Come along for soup, toasties, a hot drink and good company. No need to book.
- Soup
- Toasties
- Good company
- When
- Every Friday, 11am to 1pm
- Cost
- All free
- Where
- Plains Evangelical Church, 201 Main Street, Plains, Airdrie, ML6 7JQ
- Contact
- For more information, send us a message.
Schools
We are glad to support our local schools.
We value our links with the schools in our community. Our Pastor, Mark Nelson, regularly visits local schools to lead assemblies, sharing stories and lessons from the Bible in a way that children can enjoy and understand.
Sermons
Missed a Sunday, or want to hear a sermon again? Listen to our sermons here, arranged by series.
Watch on YouTube
Our YouTube channel has videos from the church, including a short Gospel message.
Listen as a podcast
Subscribe in your podcast app and new sermons arrive on your phone automatically.
Paste it into your podcast app under "Add by URL" or "Follow a show by URL".
Sermon series
Latest sermons
Documents
Our key church documents, including the membership application form.
- ConstitutionPDF
- Membership application formPDF to print · Word
- Safeguarding policy and proceduresPDF
- Data protection policyPDF
Links
Websites we've found helpful.
- FIECThe Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches
- Plains Evangelical Church on FacebookNews and notices
- Plains Evangelical Church on YouTubeVideos, including a short Gospel message
Members
Resources for church members. You'll be asked for the members' username and password.
- Members' documentsDocuments for church members
Don't have the login? Ask one of the Elders.
Giving
Plains Evangelical Church is supported entirely by the gifts of our members and friends. Thank you for thinking of supporting the work of the church.
On a Sunday
You can give in the offering at any of our Sunday services.
By bank transfer
To give by bank transfer or standing order, send us a message and our Treasurer will send you the church's bank details.
Gift Aid
If you're a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid lets the church claim an extra 25p from the government for every £1 you give, at no cost to you. Ask us for a Gift Aid declaration form.
Giving online
Online giving isn't set up yet. If the church decides to offer it, a "Give online" button can go here.
Plains Evangelical Church is a registered Scottish charity, No. SC029054.
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you, whether you have a question, a prayer request or you're thinking of visiting. Send us a message and we'll make sure it reaches the right person.