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Church hosts Kirkin' of the Tartans service
Enslow Park Presbyterian Church kicks off the annual "Kirkin' of the Tartans" event with a colorful procession of Scottish Highland Tartans on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Huntington.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- The skirl of pipes, the beat of drums and a colorful procession of Scottish Highland Tartans opened Enslow Park Presbyterian Church's annual "Kirkin' of the Tartans" on Sunday morning.
The service celebrated Presbyterians' rich Scottish heritage and highlights both diversity and unity within the church and community. The Rev. Chris Perkins led the service that includes Scottish prayers, liturgy and hymns.
The ceremony stems from an old Scottish rite in which the clans brought their tartans to the church to be blessed.
Dr. Peter Marshall, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, developed the modern ceremony in 1941. His purpose was to show the unity of the people of the United States in the face of threats of war in Europe. Since then, the ceremony has come to symbolize unity amid diversity in all walks of life and is celebrated in churches across the country, including an annual service at the Washington National Cathedral.
