Kirking of the Tartans – Oct. 30

The Kirking is a modern tradition, introduced by Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall on April 27, 1941, at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C. The ceremony was intended as a service a rededication to Scottish heritage and devotion to God.

Peter Marshall, a native Scot who emigrated to the United States in 1927, graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in 1931 and served as pastor of First Presbyterian in Covington, Georgia before becoming pastor of Westminster Presbyterian in Atlanta. He became pastor of New York Avenue Presbyterian in 1937 and served twice as the Chaplain of the United States Senate.

Kirk is Scottish for church, and tartans, with their distinctive cross-lined patterns, represent Scottish clans, families, and regions. Perhaps no symbol is more associated with Scotland and Scottish history than the tartan.

The tradition of the tartan is ancient and was part of the everyday attire of the Highland people for centuries. Tartans were a symbol of kinship. Groups of families, called clans, had their own distinctive patterns and colors. In the same way we have a flag representing all of us as a nation, and also have a state flag as Georgians, county flags for DeKalb and Gwinnett citizens, we have our beautiful banner of memories representing all the families of our church – our kinship as a part of the body of Jesus Christ that is the clan of St. Andrews.