In a remarkable expression of international partnership and historic faith the former Church of Scotland building in Danderhall, originally founded in 1747 and closed in recent years, has been rededicated and revived as Newton Presbyterian Church (John Ross Memorial).
The rededication and induction service took place on April 2, 2025, with leadership from the Lothian and Borders Presbytery of the Church of Scotland and the Busan South Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) presbyteries.
Rev. Lorna Souter, Moderator of the Lothian and Borders Presbytery, led the first part of the service, which included a sermon by Rev. Norman Smith, Clerk of the Presbytery, titled “What Unites Us?” (Hebrews 10:19–25).
Rev. Alexander Forsyth, Moderator of the Edinburgh and West Lothian Presbytery, declared the rededication, followed by a prayer of thanksgiving by Prof. Alison Jack, Principal of New College at the University of Edinburgh.
The second part of the service was the induction of Rev Dr JunSoo Park.
It was presided over by Rev. Oh-Ryong Kim, Moderator of the Busan South Presbytery.
The ceremony included a report on the establishment process by Youngran Kim, followed by a pastoral vow administered by Rev. Hyung-Chan Hwang.
Rev. Oh-Ryong Kim then offered the ordination prayer and officially proclaimed the induction of Rev. JunSoo Park.
The third part marked a historic moment: Newton Presbyterian Church John Ross Memorial was formally approved as an associate member of the Lothian and Borders Presbytery.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two presbyteries to foster ongoing collaboration.
Following the service, Rev Andrew Don, minister of Newton Church, symbolically handed over the church keys to Elder Yoonwoo Lee of Dongnae Central Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Park returned a copy of the key to Andrew Don as a gesture of ongoing hospitality.
Special appreciation plaques were presented to legal advisor Hamaad Khalid, Andrew Don, and Eilie Blackwood. The inaugural John Ross Memorial Award was also presented to Margaret Ross, a direct descendant of the missionary Rev Dr John Ross, who remarked: “As John Ross brought the gospel to Korea through the first translation of the Bible into Hangul, I now witness with gratitude how a presbyterian Korean minister has rebuilt a church in his memory in Scotland.”
Following this, Rev. Lorna Souter announced that all rededication offerings would be donated in full to the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity to establish the John Ross Scholarship Fund, and a time of offering was held.
Prof. Jeremy Carrette, Head of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, offered his congratulations and, on behalf of the university, warmly welcomed Rev. Park back to Edinburgh, where he had completed his PhD in Christian Ethics and Practical Theology. He expressed his hope that the close partnership between the university and the church will be further restored.
As a word of encouragement, Rev. Ian Alexander, Secretary for International Partnerships of the Church of Scotland, gave thanks to God for the continued use of Newton Church as a place of worship through the collaboration between the Church of Scotland and the Busan South Presbytery on the 110th anniversary of John Ross’s passing.
Following the service, a celebratory refreshment was held with all attendees.
In addition, congratulatory messages were sent by a number of distinguished figures, including Very Rev Professor David Ferguson, Dean of the Chapel Royal; Rev. Ian Paterson, Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II; Prof. Paul Nimmo of the University of Aberdeen; Prof. Michael Northcott and Prof. Brian Stanley of the University of Edinburgh; Rev. Miles Toulmin, CEO of Alpha International; former Moderators of the PCK, Rev. Chae Young-Nam and Rev. Park Jong-Soon; President Ro Young-Sang of GSPT; President Kim Woon-Yong of Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary; and prominent Korean ministers such as Rev. Kwak Sun-Hee, Rev. Kim Dong-Ho, Rev. Choi Il-Do, and Rev. Kim Sun-Tae.
Additional messages were also received from Rev Ali Pandian, Rev. Jung Ji-Hoon, Rev. Jung Dae-Hoon, Rev. Cho Sung-Il, Rev. Cho Eui-Hwan, Rev. Jung Eui-Sik, Rev. Ahn Joo-Hoon, Rev. Baek Jong-Sun, Rev. Lee Seung-Hyun, and Prof. Kim Seung-Ho.
On the following day, April 3, Rev. JunSoo Park visited Prof. Jeremy Carrette, Head of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh and proposed the establishment of the John Ross Scholarship.
He also presented the full amount of the rededication thanksgiving offering collected the previous evening.
Prof. Carrette expressed deep appreciation for Rev. Park’s vision and generosity.
Prof. Simon Burton and Prof. Alex Chow delivered special lectures on the history of the Scottish Reformation and current developments in World Christianity for delegations from Busan South Presbytery.
They also personally guided the visitors through significant historical sites, including the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, where the 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference was held, and New College library where original letters from John Ross are archived.
The visit concluded with a chapel service and a formal welcome luncheon.
The delegation from the Busan South Presbytery was officially invited to the national office of the Church of Scotland, where they were received by the Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Shaw J. Paterson, and Rev. Ian Alexander, Secretary for International Partnerships.
During the meeting, they discussed concrete strategies for the revitalization of Presbyterian churches and future global mission cooperation. A formal exchange of gifts and a letter of appreciation followed the discussion.
At the suggestion of Rev Paterson, the gathering concluded with a time of prayer in the chapel of the national office. Paterson remarked, “The rebuilding of Newton Church is a remarkable act of God’s providence,” and presented Rev. JunSoo Park with a symbolic gift: a necktie and keyring representing four key theological themes of the Church of Scotland, as a token of blessing and celebration for the rededication and induction.
In a deeply symbolic gesture, the delegation also met with Rev. Alexander Forsyth of Newington Trinity Church, where John Ross served as an elder in his final years. Rev. Forsyth presented a Bible once used by Ross and guided a visit to his birthplace.
Further visits included George Heriot’s School, Linlithgow St. Michael’s Church, and worship at St. John’s Church, where Rev. Oh-Ryong Kim preached on the theme of “A Grain of Wheat.”
A special dinner was also held with John Ross’s descendants, during which a formal agreement was signed to relocate his long-neglected grave to Newton Church, now rebuilt in his memory.
The relocation will be overseen by Koinonia Mission Foundation (Chairman: HangJae Kim).
John Ross (1842–1915), recognized as a founding father of the Korean church, was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary who completed the first translation of the Bible into Hangul. His legacy now returns full circle to Edinburgh, where his memory inspires a new era of gospel partnership between Scotland and Korea.
Rev Dr JunSoo Park completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh. After receiving his doctorate, he served as the minister of two churches in London and worked as an Associate Tutor in Christian Ethics at Westminster College,
Cambridge.
He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA, 2020) and the Royal Asiatic Society (FRAS, 2017).
He is the author of Confucian Questions to Augustine as well as numerous other books and academic articles.
He is married to Bora Shin, and they have three children: Daniel, Timothy, and Esther.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
