St Leonard's-in-the-Fields Church (1839)
John Milne became the minister at St. Leonard's there in November 1839. Hearing about the revival going on in Kilsyth, the congregation were eager for the revival to come to their church. Burns came from Kilsythat the end of the year for one service, but the Holy Spirit had other ideas, and he remained for several months. "Daily double meetings continued without interruption, the evening ones always densely, oppressively crowded and continuing usually for three or four hours." People came to the church from all over the district.
While in the midst of the work, Milne wrote, "I have been busy, very busy, almost unceasingly, night and day for the last three weeks, and the result is, I trust, one of the most hopeful and widest revivals that has as yet taken place in Scotland. The person chiefly instrumental in beginning and carrying on this is Mr Burns. . . . We are in a great degree alone, having only got help from Mr Cumming of Dunbarney, and Mr Bonar of Collace. . . . We have much opposition, and it is getting more violent as the work goes on. Mr Gray is the only town minister that stands by us, though he takes no active part in the services." At the next communion 140 were admitted to membership for the first time in St. Leonard's alone. Mr Gray afterwards reported that "never had I so interesting and delightful a class of catechumens as on that occasion."