He and his vestry are moving home from St Peter's in Linlithgow to the Four Marys this Sunday night to meet and greet the public.

The Journal and Gazette revealed Mr Blackledge's plans just before the Marches, and he said he was inundated with good wishes on the day.

''A lot of people come up to me to say it was a good idea and they would see me there. The whole point is that it is somebody else's agenda, not the church's, and they can come along with any questions or doubts they may have.

''Pubs are traditional places where everybody puts the world to rights, so it makes sense to meet there. Very often people have questions to ask Christians, or sometimes what people think we believe and what we believe are different things.

''For example, people think we are automatically against drinking, which is not the case, so that is what we thought we would set it in the Four Marys. And hundreds of years ago when St Peter's congregation first met, they did it in the back room of The Four Marys, so we are coming home!.''

The churchman hopes that the informal sessions will be attractive to everyone, from regular churchgoers to those who just want a blether, or who think religion is not for them.

''It's a place where people can feel comfortable to ask the questions they are not going to ask elsewhere,'' he said.

The first of the informal Ale Mary sessions, which Mr Blackledge hopes will become a regular fixture, takes place this Sunday, October 5, at the Four Marys, High Street, Linlithgow, at 8pm. All welcome.

editorial@journalandgazette.co.uk