NEWS & EVENTS (Growing in Christ)

The Pipes are coming! We’ll welcome Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums at our annual Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan service THIS SUNDAY, October 11, 2026 at both the 8:30 a.m. service and the 11 a.m. service. Join us for this fun day of celebration of our Scottish heritage. A special brunch will be held in Davidson River Hall which will be decorated with sixty-six different clan tartans, and will feature a traditional haggis which will be brought into the hall on a silver platter to the music of a bagpiper. The “Ode to the Haggis” will be recited and the haggis will be cut with a ceremonial knife. The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans celebration has its origin in the Highlands of Scotland in 1746 following the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie by the English. Wearing clothing made from clan tartans was outlawed by the English government. Legend has it that defiant Highlanders braved arrest and imprisonment by smuggling a small scrap of their tartan into church (kirk) for a clandestine blessing by the clergy. The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service was created in 1941 by Rev. Peter Marshall at New York Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., and Kirkin’ ceremonies are held today by many Presbyterian churches. The Public is invited to attend, and those of Scots descent are encouraged to wear the tartan of their clan.