Bellshill Central Parish Church is extremely fortunate to have many beautiful stained glass windows.

The corner windows were gifted in memory of the Blackie Family, benefactors of the Church for many years and were dedicated on 14 October 1973. These were designed by the renowned Gordon Webster with the leadwork being undertaken by Neil Hutchison.

The pictures displayed in the windows help you focus on the stories which lie behind and which, in fact, tell the whole story of the Bible. You are welcome to visit the Church, look at the windows and then read in one of the Pew Bibles the whole story depicted in each window.

ST MATTHEW WINDOW (West Side at vestry)

This window shows two separate stories from the Bible. On the right had frame Jesus can be seen at Lake Galilee, with the town in the background, inviting Andrew and Peter to join Him with the words. ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ See Matthew 4, 18 – 22 (page 6 of the Pew Bible). Look at the detail of the houses, water and fish.

The left hand frame depicts the story of the workers in the vineyard, as written in the first 16 verses of Matthew Chapter 20 (page 29 of the Pew Bible). The workers had been hired to do a day’s work for one silver coin. Some had started in the morning, others at lunch time and more later in the day. Some grapes can be seen hanging on the vines and same have already been gathered into a basket. At the end of the working day, everyone received the same wage for their efforts which caused some industrial unrest. Jesus concludes at verse 16, ‘So those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last’