The Presbyterian faith, as a religious denomination, has its root in the Scottish culture. On Sunday, Oct. 27, First Presbyterian Church (FPC) will honor those Scottish roots with a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans in the 10:30 am Classic Worship Service.
The word ‘kirk’ means “church” in Scottish, and when presented as ‘kirkin,’ it means blessing. Tartans are the traditional plaid emblems of Scottish clans (or families), represented in unevenly spaced colored lines and rectangles on woven wool cloth.
A Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans is an American tradition, first begun in the 1940s in Washington, DC by the late Dr. Peter Marshall, then pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Marshall, and the Saint Andrew’s Society of Washington, DC, held the service as a call to prayer and support of the British War Relief and the Scottish Clans Evacuation Plan. Marshall went on to be the chaplain of the U.S. Senate for a number of years.
In Scotland in the 1700s, the people were once again under British rule, and the Scottish people were forbidden from displaying their tartans in any way. However, they began to carry small pieces of their tartans in secret, and a minister began weaving blessings for the families into the worship services.
FPC’s Kirkin’ will also feature blessings for the families. Multiple families will march in a processional carrying their tartans as flags. Many of the flags have been handmade by church members, including Sandi Arnolds-Patron, Nance Georges, Lin Hamer, Jeanette McCollum, Diana Miller, Beatty Raymond, Kathy Rice, and LaNita Wynn.
This year’s service will feature 19 banners/flags, 10 of which were made this year. The additional nine were created in 2022.
“Clans were simply a fathering of peoples for their protection and for economic, political, and social support,” says Rev. Dr. John Fullerton, FPC senior pastor. “Clansmen and clanswomen demonstrated a true bond of family, and the tartan is the symbol of this love and togetherness.”
The Kirkin’ service is intended to encourage all participants to reflect with thanksgiving on their own family and ethnic heritage, moving the Kirkin’ beyond those of Scottish descent to people “of every nation, tribe, people, and language,” as is quoted in Revelation 7:9.
“We will celebrate God’s grace poured out for all generations,” Fullerton says.
All are invited to participate in this blessing and service which will be held in the sanctuary at the 10:30 am service on October 27.