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Friday, May 20, 2005

Kirkin' Culture: Church's Tribute To Scottish Roots

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1574&dept_id=532541&newsid=1455 3744&PAG=461&rfi=9 Kirkin' Culture: Local Church To Pay Tribute To Scottish Roots By: DONNA WICK, Villager staff05/19/2005 Long ago, amidst the austere landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, rooted in the lore of Scottish history as legend as Braveheart itself, the clan system ruled until a distinct Gaelic tribal culture threatened the authority of the Stewart monarchy. The clan system survived largely intact until its dismantling in the years following 1746, a consequence of the failure of the final Jacobite uprising on the bloody field of Culloden. Long ago, amidst the austere landscapes of the Scottish Highlands, rooted in the lore of Scottish history as legend as Braveheart itself, the clan system ruled until a distinct Gaelic tribal culture threatened the authority of the Stewart monarchy. The clan system survived largely intact until its dismantling in the years following 1746, a consequence of the failure of the final Jacobite uprising on the bloody field of Culloden. After the battle, severe restrictions were placed on Scotland through the Disarming Act of 1746 forbidding cultural icons such as the kilt, bagpipe music and the wearing or displaying of the tartan, all punishable by death. Tartans were most personal because they were like flags denoting specific Scottish clans, regions and regiments. Scottish history relates that tartan clothing at one time distinguished the rank or status of the wearer. Throughout history, patterns became systematized and identified with families who predominated in many areas of the feudal land. Thus, the idea of clan and regional tartans developed. Today, tartans identify the wearer with his or her clan, region or Scottish regiment, and are recognized worldwide as a symbol of Scotland. After the abolition of the tartan in Scotland, clansmen took to carrying swatches of the material to "kirk" (church), concealed on their person. At some point in the service, the clergyman would touch their bit of tartan. With no overt signal given, a sort of underground "kirkin'" would take place. Many assume the Ceremony of the Kirkin' to be an ancient ritual transported to this country from Scotland. However, the first Kirkin' was held by the Saint Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C., on April 27, 1941, in Washington's New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The minister was the late Dr. Peter Marshall, a Scotsman himself, whose desire was to instill pride among Scottish Americans in their Scottish ancestral homeland. The Kirkin' o' the Tartans ceremony became popular in Presbyterian churches across the United States and Timber Ridge Presbyterian is following strong suit to the blessing and benefit of The Woodlands. Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church, located at 7575 Alden Bridge Drive, will host its first Kirkin' o' the Tartans service on May 22, at 11 a.m. The ceremony will be led by Pastor Stephen Rehrig during the church's Heritage Sunday service, which honors the Presbyterian heritage of the church, beginning with a processional, led by a bagpiper, followed by 10 or 20 banners, then church banners, a beadle, a cross bearer, the choir and Timber Ridge's pastor, the Rev. Stephen Rehrig. "We want to celebrate being Presbyterian and bring back the beauty and ceremony of the homeland to the church," said Virginia Staat, evangelism outreach chair for the church. Members from Houston's Heather and Thistle Society and the Scottish Council will provide family tartans for the procession. Prior to the service, beginning at 10:30 a.m., Timber Ridge's senior high class will provide Scottish fiddle music and samples of Scottish dance and oatcakes. This tradition has been brought to Timber Ridge to symbolize their dedication to God and to reaffirm their covenant with the Presbyterian Church, USA, whose ancestry traces back primarily to Scotland and England. Some 20 years after Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation movement in 1517, a French/Swiss theologian, John Calvin, further refined the reformers' new way of thinking about the nature of God and God's relationship with humanity in what came to be known as "reformed theology." John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland, took Calvin's teachings back to Scotland. "There is such a strong tradition, that we want to bring some of the pomp and circumstance that harkens to the lore of our heritage," Staat said. Presbyterians have featured prominently in United States history. The Rev. Francis Makemie, who arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in 1683, helped to organize the first American Presbytery at Philadelphia in 1706. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Rev. John Witherspoon, was a Presbyterian minister. The Rev. William Tennent founded a ministerial "log college" in New Jersey that evolved into Princeton University. Other Presbyterian ministers, such as the Rev. Jonathan Edwards and the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, were driving forces in the so-called "Great Awakening," a revivalist movement in the early 18th century. The heart of every Kirkin' o' the Tartans service is always the Presentation of the Tartans of the Clan, Regiment and/or Region, a constant symbol of the rededication of Scotsfolk everywhere to the service of the Heavenly Father. "God has truly blessed us with a growing church and hopefully we can continue in the celebration of who we are as Presbyterians with periodic commencements like this," Staat said. For more information, call Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church at (936) 321-3298.
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