Fond farewell as Fife minister retires

The church service on Sunday marked Rev Alan Sharp’s last as minister at Burntisland Parish Church.

After 18 years at the helm he is hanging up his robes to take a well earned rest. But he won’t be far from his beloved congregation as he and his family have bought a house in the town.

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“Since I came here Burntisland has been a home from home,” he explained.

“I grew up in Kirkcaldy and went to Kirkcaldy High School and in the summer we used to come along here to the open air pool which was great – even if it was freezing.

“I’ve just turned 65 and I feel now is the right time for me to pass the reins to someone new. I’ve loved my time here and I think together with the congregation and friends and family we have achieve a lot.”

Among those accomplishments are setting up the Solid Rock, which began life as a youth cafe and is now used as a place of midweek worship as well as a community cafe and foodbank hub.

He also was chaplain of Burntisland Primary and Balwearie High Schools.

He was involved in starting a Christians Against Poverty group, which people in debt can go to for help, and recently the church hired a hot tub so that six young people who wanted to be baptised could have a full immersion service.

“We’ve also welcomed a number of overseas visitors, including a young drama student from Pennsylvania who had a big impact on our young people,” he added.

“We’ve made a lot of friends in Burntisland and our children and grandchildren are also in the area, so that’s why we made the decision to stay in the town.”