St Andrew's Scots Kirk celebrates 200 years

St  Andrew's Scots Kirk in downtown Kingston is celebrating its 200th anniversary this month and several activities have been planned to mark the occasion. Chief among them are a banquet on Friday, November 15, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, starting at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and entertainment by Fab 5, as well as the anniversary service and luncheon on Sunday, November 17, starting at 10 a.m. at the church, 43A Duke Street with alternative entrance on Mark Lane, facing Church Street.

St Andrew's Scots Kirk (United Church) has had a long and colourful history in the life of the city.

In the past 50-60 years, some prominent pastors - foreign and local - have ministered from its pulpit for extended periods. In the '50s and early '60s, the resident pastor was a Scotsman, Rev Mungo Garrick, and he was succeeded by another Scotsman, Rev Alistair McTavish. In latter years, there was a shift to Jamaican-born pastors, including the Reverend Earl Thames, the Reverend Gordon Cowans and the current pastor, the Reverend Dr Ralph Hoyte, who has been at the helm for the past 18 years.

In addition to various outreach programmes within the Central Kingston community over the years, Scots Kirk has been home to several uniform groups, including the Girl Guides and Boys' Brigade.

For many years, the 41st Jamaica Company of the Boys' Brigade was captained by Alvin Henry who recently received a national honour for his long and dedicated service to the organisation.

The Boys' Brigade has shaped the lives of many young men from surrounding inner-city communities such as Southside, Tel Aviv and also West Kingston. One such ex-member is Winston Jones, who is visiting from Atlanta, Georgia, to join in the celebration. He recalls:

"I grew up not far from Scots Kirk on Maiden Lane and as a young boy in the sixties, joined the 41st Jamaica along with my older brother.

"The Boys' Brigade had a positive effect on our young lives. It not only taught us Christian values, self-esteem, discipline, and the ability to get along with each other, but we also had fun growing up in that environment, especially when all the companies went on camping trips to places like Lucea, MoBay, and Port Antonio," he concluded.

Scots Kirk was also home to the distinguished organist and choir master, Lloyd Hall for many, many years. Hall died in November 2010.

- O.C.