A PETITION to stop cuts to churches has gathered support praising the work of a Glasgow minister.

The Church of Scotland is proposing to close a church in the north of the city and reduce the number of ministers in the area.

Rev Brian Casey of Springburn Parish Church said he has considered leaving the church as the cuts would leave him and colleagues unable to do the vital work they do in some of the poorest communities in the country.

He told our sister title The Herald: "Our promise to always prioritise the poor has been a total lie."

READ HERE how the church plans to make cuts in the area

Parishioners have rallied round and a petition has attracted hundreds of signatures and is growing by the day.

The petition on Change.org asks the Glasgow Presbytery of the Church of Scotland to “reconsider plans to cut ministerial staffing in the Springburn area of Glasgow and to secure the future of Rev Brian Casey”.

It states: “Rev Brian Casey has worked with asylum seekers, those in poverty, the bereaved, especially in infant death, drug policy and drug recovery, school chaplaincy and helped advocate for people with benefits and legal issues. His work has been recognised in the Scottish Parliament."

People in the area, and others who have been involved with or helped by Rev Casey, praised him.

William McCool signed the petition and wrote: “I am living proof of a life changed thanks to Rev Casey. He brought me into his church, showed a faith in me that instilled a confidence that has seen me grow and become a much better man than when he found me.

“So much so that I have gone from being an ex-convict to a future minister, as with Brian’s support I’ve just been accepted to full-time training with the Church of Scotland.”

Annemarie Ward, chief executive of recovery group Favor Scotland, added her support.

She said: “Brian has been an incredibly supportive link for the recovery community to help have our voices heard.

“Brian has gone above and beyond the call of duty in speaking up around the drug deaths and no doubt will have put his own wellbeing in jeopardy. We need more people like Brian.”

Another signatory, Linda Reed, wrote: “I am a former depute head teacher in the area. Rev Casey became a beacon of light in the community, working tirelessly to support, do good and work with the local schools.

“This is absolutely a crucial role and needs to continue.”

A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: “Supporting the most marginalised people in our communities is the gospel imperative of the whole church and is at the heart of all that it does.

“The Presbytery of Glasgow is committed to continuing to serve the people of Springburn but, like all presbyteries, it has been instructed by the General Assembly to reduce staff numbers against a drop in income both nationally and locally.

“For the cluster of three congregations that Springburn is part of, this means a reduction to 1.5 full-time posts for ministers and a further 0.9 post devoted to community engagement.

“This means a total of 2.4 posts are allocated to the area.

“All presbyteries of the Church of Scotland have been going through a process for a number of years and mission plans have been well examined and scrutinised.

“Although we accept that this means difficult decisions have to be taken and they come with an emotional cost, the five-year mission plan affirms that the Springburn Parish Church building will remain open.

 “The Presbytery of Glasgow hopes the necessary reforms across the whole presbytery area will lead to growth and greater unity, shared resources, less duplicated administrative and practical work and new missional initiatives.”