Ian Paisley's blueprint for Ibrox

West is in the shadow of Ibrox stadium and was used for worship until

recently.

''We would hope that the church will return to its original use of

preaching the reformed faith,'' Mr Paisley of the Free Presbyterian

Church of Ulster, said at the weekend.

The Ulster preacher was initially reluctant to discuss the matter. He

said: ''We don't want our ecumenical friends trying to put a stop to it.

It's happened before. Religious liberty is on their lips but not in

their deeds.''

The Ibrox building was built by the United Presbyterian Church in the

ninteenth century and was part of the United Free Church, and later the

Church of Scotland. In 1980 the building was sold to the Methodist

church.

Faced with a #40,000 bill for dry rot last year, the Methodists moved

out and sold the building to JS Properties in Paisley. Last night the

Methodist circuit minister, the Rev. Tom Wilkinson, said it came as a

surprise to hear the had been acquired by Mr Paisley.

''When Methodist property headquarters contacted us and asked if we

had objections to the Free Presbyterian church in Rutherglen using it,

we said we didn't. I don't think we can be held responsible for this

after we have got rid of it, which we did in good faith.''

Asked if he would have objected had he known of the Ulster connection,

Mr Wilkinson said: ''I think we might. But we no longer have an affinity

with that community. It's the problem of the locals.''

The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster approved the acquisition last

Friday. The minister is to be the Rev. Stephen Hamilton, whose father is

caretaker at Martyrs' Memorial in Belfast, and where his mother works as

Mr Paisley's secretary. Mr Paisley said that in Scotland, to avoid

confusion with Free Presbyterian and Free churches, his church would be

called the Scottish Presbyterian Free Church.

Mr Hamilton said last night the church would be affiliated to the

general presbytery in Ulster. ''We decided to lease it for ten years but

depending on how things progress we might think about buying,'' he said.

Asked if they had been particularily attracted to that area, he said:

''It was quite incidental. I was not aware how close it was to the

stadium and would not say that we have a strong constituency there.''

Mr Hamilton said he was surprised if the Methodists did not know of

the connection with Mr Paisley. ''We are pretty up front about that. The

thing that would worry me is that someone would object to the building

being used for Christian worship. Although we lease from JS Properties,

the Methodists have a clause limiting it to a Christian denomination and

it would not reflect very well on them if they were to judge us outside

that.''

Mr Hamilton rejected the possiblility of Ulster political issues being

imported to Scotland. ''Our sole aim is to preach the reformed faith. In

three years there hasn't been a single political overtone to what we've

done. Some may see us as sectarian but that is not our perception.''

The Rev. Blair Gillon, parish minister of Ibrox, said his main concern

was with the Ulster political problems being brought into the community.

''I know some residents who are thinking of getting up a petition,'' he

said. ''But it may be something that we'll have to accept.''

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic church said it was not policy to

comment on the internal affairs of other churches such as the change of

use of Ibrox.