In 1893 The Hamilton Memorial Free church was vacant and disagreed with the procedure of the session and presbytery in the election of a minister which resulted in 142 members separating from the Hamilton Memorial Church and forming a new congregational church.
Services were held regularly in the public hall before members called upon the Rev. Peter Smith to be their minister. Through their hard endeabvours 1800 pounds was raised to create a new church in Angle Street and this was opened on 21st June 1894.
Line drawing illustration 
CHURCH TIMELINE
1860 Camnethan Street Evangelical Union meeting house established at 8 Camnethan Street. A Mr Massie (Superintendant) c.1866 and Richard Goodwillie were preachers of the congregation. The congregation ceased to meet around 1884.
1893 Hamilton Memorial Free Church congregation aggrieved with procedure in election of minister and separate from Free Church.
1894 Congregation meet in Public Hall until opening of church.
1894 Rev. Peter Smith (b. 1852, d. 1934)
Born Knockando, 1st minister of congregation, accepted call from Elder Park Church, Govan 1906
1894 Application to the Congregational Union of Scotland formerly constituted. 142 members withdrew from the Free Church, with a further 81 new members joining the congregation after the first six months.
1896 New Church opened on 21st June costing £1800 seating 450 members
1904 Congregation purchase Westlea, Vicars Road as a Manse for £900. The congregation previously leased Newfield House for the minister.
1906 Rev. James Wallace (b. c1869, d. 1953)
Born Motherwell, Rev. Wallace was responsible for drafting the constitution of the church.
1917 Rev. Walter Gerrard (b. 1879, d. 1946)
Born Edinburgh, previously minister of Congregational Church in Dunfermline.
1922 Rev. Robert McKinlay (d. 1933)
President of Congregation Union of Scotland 1930-1931.
Robert McKinlay of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire. McKinlay was a minister in the Congregational Church at Pitsligo, then at Galston, and finally at Stonehouse from 1922-33; as well as being a scholar of NT Greek (Ph.D. Glasgow University, 1927, “Semitisms in the N.T. in the light of later popular Greek”) he was also a member of Glasgow Bibliographical Society with a particular interest in the lesser-known works of James Boswell. The collection includes a volume of cuttings relating to McKinlay’s bibliographical research and his correspondence with noted Boswell scholars such as Frederick Pottle. The National Library of Scotland has a collection of 17 items, mainly by, or relating to, James Boswell (1740-1795), which were purchased by the Library in 1934 from the library of the Rev McKinlay.
1927 Branch of Girls’ Auxiliary formed, later dissolving in 1933.
1933 Rev. David Clews McArthur M.B.E.
Born Bonhill. Served as Chaplain in the forces as a Captain in Burma, for which he received a MBE.
1935 Compton pipe-organ installed replacing old double manuel harmonium installed in 1901.
1941 Rev. James Gilbert Ritchie Strachan (b. c1905, d. 1985)
(Acting) Born Fraserburgh
1944 Rev. James Kinmond Smith (b. 1900, d. c1971)
Born Leith, he accepted call to Cambuslang Congregational Church.
1948 Rev. George Renton Brown (b. 1911, d. 1951)
Born Galashields. 
1952 Rev. Robert Macready Lawson (b. 1905, d. 1973)
Born Glasgow. Served as Chaplain in the forces. Congregation at all time high of 285 members.
1962 Rev. Clifford Harry Macquire
1965 Rev. Derek Haley (b. 1934) Born Bradford
1968 Rev. Alexander Friend (b. 1925) Born Airdrie
1972 Rev. Kathleen M. Callander (b. 1948, d. 1984)
(Student Assistant) Born Aberdeen
1972 Rev. William Robert Nelson Gray O.B.E. (b. 1923, d. 1999)
(Associate) Born Edinburgh. Executive producer of religious programmes for Scottish Television. President of Congregational Union of Scotland 1966-67. Rev. Gray served until 1985 with Rev. Bissett and Fred McDermid.
1975 Rev. Thomas Hall Bissett (b. 1901, d. 1992)
(Associate) Served congregation until 1894.
Fredrick McDermid (b. 1924) (Associate) Pastorate (Lay) of Lanark Congregational Church. Chair of the Congregational Union of Scotland 1962-65 and president 1973-74. Served at Stonehouse during the 1970’s and 80’s.
1986 Rev. Derek Graham Corner (b. 1948)
Born Galashiels
1992 Margaret Anderson (b. 1944)
(Student) Born Glasgow. Margaret Anderson served until 1995.
1998 Rev. Kathryn Smith Anderson
Born United States of America
1999 Congregational Union of Scotland voted to unite with United Reformed Church
2002 Rev. Kathryn Smith Anderson retired.
BOOKLETS
In 1954 a diamond jubilee booklet was produce to celebrate sixy years of the church, and the booklet itself provides some short biographies of previous ministers.
CHURCH ORGANISATIONS
Congregational Drama Group.
The Diamond Jubilee of the Stonehouse Congregational Church was celebrated in 1954. To mark the occasion a Drama Group was formed in 1953 with the idea of performing a special play as part of the celebrations on Easter 1954.
The play chosen to be performed was ‘The Vigil’a play set in a courtroom where a gardener was to be tried for taking away the body of Christ and hiding it away in an unknown place. The church needed little adaption to resemble a court. There was a large cast all members of the church. The Producer was Fred Mc Dermid.
The play was performed on two evenings and the church was packed at each performance. The success of this play brought a number of invitations to perform in other churches, including.the Assembly of the Congregational Union of Scotland in Glasgow.
Other plays performed were ‘A Man’s House’ which meant converting the chancel of the church into a Roman House; this required scaffolding and flats which took a long time to build and paint. On the Sunday before the performance the minister, Robert Lawson, had to enter the pup it by means of a ladder.
Other plays performed were ‘But they won’t lie down;’ ‘The Blind Man,’ ‘The Prototype’ and ‘The backyard miracle.’ The Prototype’ and another funny play ‘The gates of Hell’ were performed at the Congregational Assembly in Edinburgh.
Parts of the Radio Play, ‘ A Man born to be King’ by Dorothy L. Sayers were adopted and performed and several invitations were received to perform these in other churches. ‘The trial of Jimmy Brown’ and ‘The Answer my Friend’ were later added to the repertoire.
Not every play was religious; a very funny play called ‘Come back Peter’ was very popular and again was performed in several churches. The Group wrote a revue and called it ‘Congrevue’ a mixture of sketches and songs and these were greatly enjoyed.
There was one interesting bye-product of the Group. It almost became a marriage bureau for many of the members married one another. For a number of good reasons, family, business etc.the Group ended in 1969.
Pagel
Play group
A Playgroup was formed in November 1966 and it met in the church hall at the comer of Camnethan Street and Boghall Street.( No longer there.) The founders were, Mrs. Janet Hayley, wife of the minister, Rev. Derek Haley, Mrs. Isobel Leggate and Mrs. Margaret Mc Dermid.
The group met originally on Tuesdays and Thursdays but later it became so popular that it was extended to Wednesdays and Fridays. This Group were pioneers in the Playgroup movement as the first Group was formed in 1965 in England. It was watching a television programme about this original group which gave the founders, all mothers of young children, the idea of forming a group. It was very successful.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH FOOTBALL TEAM
During the 1970’s the Congregational church had a football team whose members went onto represent the lanarkshire select team with some also going to Iceland. The team was managed by Jim Jamieson.
