150th Anniversary
Beulah’s Homecoming was celebrated on September 23, 2018 with our typical homecoming potluck dinner immediately following morning worship. To celebrate our 150th anniversary year the 150th Anniversary Committee, along with help from the Mission and Outreach commission, set up a Beulah Presbyterian Church museum in the Fireside Room of the Ramsey Building. Historical items from the church's holdings as well as memorabilia provided by Beulah members and former members were on display.
The 150th Anniversary Committee members are Spence Poole, Carla Wood, Ramona Woodcock, Don Pierce, Tim Lovett and Bob LeBlond.
As part of our 150th Anniversary Celebration, The Beulahtin has reprinted a series of articles written by members and first published in 2008. Many of these articlesl feature personal recollections.
Beulah’s History with Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church
Beulah was formed in 1868 by splitting from another, older Presbyterian church in the area. This month we will take a look at that church of our spiritual predecessors, the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church, through the voices of its members. Our church is the guardian of some of the minutes of the Session of the Pennsylvania Run Church from the 1830s and the following excerpts give us a glimpse into the lives of these Kentucky Presbyterians from 180 years ago.
Near the end of the 18th century, a number of Presbyterian families from Pennsylvania settled in a part of Jefferson
County twelve miles southeast of the town at the falls of the Ohio. By 1789 they had built a log church near the run (creek), which they named in memory of their native state. The Reverend Archibald Cameron, a well-educated and outspoken Scotsman, organized the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church in October of that year establishing the first Presbyterian Church in Jefferson County.
The minutes of the Session that Beulah holds begin on the date of October 25, 1835, with the statement that “Records of the church have been lost and new ones commended.” It goes on to say that, “owing to its disorganized constitution and irregular proceedings, never having had a record, it was reorganized by the Reverend Gideon Blackburn in May 1823.”
Reading the hand-written minutes penned over 150 years ago one gets an appreciation of how different the roles of the Session and the church were in the lives of these people. Recorded in graceful cursive in this small, fragile, book are poignant, even surprising testaments of the influence of the church in the lives of 19th century Kentuckians. Errant members were called before the Session, which apparently took an active role as moral guardians in a way that we might not accept today. Following are some examples:
“March 1836.
Mr. [name withheld by author] for several years a member of this church but whose life had not conformed with his profession, having contracted the degrading habit of thinking too freely came forward of his own accord and promised reformation. Session was satisfied but thought it advisable…to defer reinstating him fully until he had longer time to prove the sincerity of his repentance.”
Saturday, November 25, 1837. The Session met to try an unwed mother “who having been previously notified appeared before the Session to answer to the charge brought against her. The crime was a violation of the 7th commandment evidenced by the birth of an illegitimate child.” This was a trial in the strictest sense with questioning of the witness leading to binding judgment by the Session with transcripts recorded in the minutes. Following is a sample of the questioning:
Q: How came you to be betrayed into this sin?
A: I was deceived under a promise of marriage.
Q: Would not a marriage with a Roman Catholic have been improper as you were a member of the church?
A: It would, but affection was such that I felt willing to waive that objection.
After further questioning Session approved of her repentance but “resolved to suspend her from the church until she might have sufficient time to test the genuineness of her repentance.”
Reading the transcripts of this trial I sympathized with this young woman and wondered what hardships she and her child faced as a result. Was she ever accepted fully back into the church community? This is not recorded.
As we would expect, the Session took a dim view of straying from Presbyterian doctrine as seen in the case of another member who was summoned to appear before the Session in a letter that read,
“Dear Sir, You are hereby notified to attend at the stone meeting house in Brunerstown [now Jeffersontown] on Friday the 24th of August at 2 pm to answer to the charges brought against you…namely…for a departure from the faith of the Presbyterian Church and for embracing in whole or in part the errors of the self-styled reformers of the present day.” The accused did not show up.
An even more grave matter was brought before the Session on November 20, 1853, with the case of a woman “charged with shooting C. G. Martin”, who had died as a result. It seems that in this case the Session considered the limits of its authority and “it was judged respectful by the Session not to proceed in the matter until after the sitting of the Grand Jury [since the case] possibly might come before the criminal court.” This reservation notwithstanding, the Session did indeed proceed with its own trial the following January and, after hearing witnesses, made the decision “that the defendant is not guilty of this charge.”
In addition to the accounts of these sensational trials, the minutes also contain the ordinary records of a vital community church including the addition of new members and baptisms. On Saturday, August 12, 1838 “The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered after which a collection of $11 and some cents was taken up and given to the Cane Run Church to aid in paying for their house of worship.”
The Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church faithfully served its GOD and community for 184 years, finally closing its doors in October of 1973. It will take Beulah 34 more years to surpass this milestone.
It was fascinating to read these words written so long ago by hands long stilled. I wondered what the clerks who recorded these notes would think of me sitting at my computer and sending this article through the internet to church to be retrieved and published later? It is a great responsibility to have inherited these records and to safeguard them for posterity for the faithful saints of our mother church, the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church.
Many thanks to Mary McCaulley, a former member of the Pennsylvania Run Church, for her contributions to this article.
Beulah’s History with Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church
Beulah was formed in 1868 by splitting from another, older Presbyterian church in the area. This month we will take a look at that church of our spiritual predecessors, the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church, through the voices of its members. Our church is the guardian of some of the minutes of the Session of the Pennsylvania Run Church from the 1830s and the following excerpts give us a glimpse into the lives of these Kentucky Presbyterians from 180 years ago.
Near the end of the 18th century, a number of Presbyterian families from Pennsylvania settled in a part of Jefferson
County twelve miles southeast of the town at the falls of the Ohio. By 1789 they had built a log church near the run (creek), which they named in memory of their native state. The Reverend Archibald Cameron, a well-educated and outspoken Scotsman, organized the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church in October of that year establishing the first Presbyterian Church in Jefferson County.
The minutes of the Session that Beulah holds begin on the date of October 25, 1835, with the statement that “Records of the church have been lost and new ones commended.” It goes on to say that, “owing to its disorganized constitution and irregular proceedings, never having had a record, it was reorganized by the Reverend Gideon Blackburn in May 1823.”
Reading the hand-written minutes penned over 150 years ago one gets an appreciation of how different the roles of the Session and the church were in the lives of these people. Recorded in graceful cursive in this small, fragile, book are poignant, even surprising testaments of the influence of the church in the lives of 19th century Kentuckians. Errant members were called before the Session, which apparently took an active role as moral guardians in a way that we might not accept today. Following are some examples:
“March 1836.
Mr. [name withheld by author] for several years a member of this church but whose life had not conformed with his profession, having contracted the degrading habit of thinking too freely came forward of his own accord and promised reformation. Session was satisfied but thought it advisable…to defer reinstating him fully until he had longer time to prove the sincerity of his repentance.”
Saturday, November 25, 1837. The Session met to try an unwed mother “who having been previously notified appeared before the Session to answer to the charge brought against her. The crime was a violation of the 7th commandment evidenced by the birth of an illegitimate child.” This was a trial in the strictest sense with questioning of the witness leading to binding judgment by the Session with transcripts recorded in the minutes. Following is a sample of the questioning:
Q: How came you to be betrayed into this sin?
A: I was deceived under a promise of marriage.
Q: Would not a marriage with a Roman Catholic have been improper as you were a member of the church?
A: It would, but affection was such that I felt willing to waive that objection.
After further questioning Session approved of her repentance but “resolved to suspend her from the church until she might have sufficient time to test the genuineness of her repentance.”
Reading the transcripts of this trial I sympathized with this young woman and wondered what hardships she and her child faced as a result. Was she ever accepted fully back into the church community? This is not recorded.
As we would expect, the Session took a dim view of straying from Presbyterian doctrine as seen in the case of another member who was summoned to appear before the Session in a letter that read,
“Dear Sir, You are hereby notified to attend at the stone meeting house in Brunerstown [now Jeffersontown] on Friday the 24th of August at 2 pm to answer to the charges brought against you…namely…for a departure from the faith of the Presbyterian Church and for embracing in whole or in part the errors of the self-styled reformers of the present day.” The accused did not show up.
An even more grave matter was brought before the Session on November 20, 1853, with the case of a woman “charged with shooting C. G. Martin”, who had died as a result. It seems that in this case the Session considered the limits of its authority and “it was judged respectful by the Session not to proceed in the matter until after the sitting of the Grand Jury [since the case] possibly might come before the criminal court.” This reservation notwithstanding, the Session did indeed proceed with its own trial the following January and, after hearing witnesses, made the decision “that the defendant is not guilty of this charge.”
In addition to the accounts of these sensational trials, the minutes also contain the ordinary records of a vital community church including the addition of new members and baptisms. On Saturday, August 12, 1838 “The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered after which a collection of $11 and some cents was taken up and given to the Cane Run Church to aid in paying for their house of worship.”
The Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church faithfully served its GOD and community for 184 years, finally closing its doors in October of 1973. It will take Beulah 34 more years to surpass this milestone.
It was fascinating to read these words written so long ago by hands long stilled. I wondered what the clerks who recorded these notes would think of me sitting at my computer and sending this article through the internet to church to be retrieved and published later? It is a great responsibility to have inherited these records and to safeguard them for posterity for the faithful saints of our mother church, the Pennsylvania Run Presbyterian Church.
Many thanks to Mary McCaulley, a former member of the Pennsylvania Run Church, for her contributions to this article.
Beulah’s 150th Anniversary - 1930 -1939
The 1930’s were not easy for Beulah Presbyterian as its members struggled to pay off the debt incurred when the builder made off with monies already paid and did not pay the workers who had covered the old wooden church in brick and modernized its design. The result was a mortgage that was secured by personal notes (some of which were backed by their land) and were signed by several members who were on the Board of Elders. The Great Depression struck and very little money was available to anyone. Due to the strong faith of the Elders and Congregation, under the leadership of Rev. W.A. Ramsey, (who sometimes worked without pay) ways were opened for the financial needs to be met. The church, by will of Margaret Guthrie who sold the church the land it now sits on for $275, owned about 13 acres on which the “old stone house” stood just across Beulah Church Road from the present church. In those days, the house was used as a manse. Unfortunately, this land could not be sold because of a reversionary clause in the will to the effect that if the property ceased to be used as a manse, it would revert to the Guthrie heirs. Since the heirs by then were about as numerous as the sands of the sea, there was little likelihood of meeting the requirements of the will, so effort was made through the court to have the reversionary clause set aside so the church could sell this property. On April 13, 1931, Dr. Rush and N.B. Johnson were appointed to “wait on” Banker’s Trust Company to talk to them about the church debt. After much deliberation, the court granted the request for the sale of the property. On September 2, 1934, the moderator presented to the congregation an offer of $4,000 for the property. It was accepted. Reducing the debt was a great accomplishment for the church and by 1942, the building was debt-free.
Throughout the 30’s, according to the Session minutes, many “every member canvases” were made. The PW notebook reports a Third Sunday Offering taken regularly. Perhaps it was toward the mortgage. Ten-day “Evangelistic Services” were scheduled, often in the fall. The purpose of one meeting was to discuss back Presbyterial taxes. At the suggestion of the pastor, a motion was made to instruct the treasurer not to pay said tax as it had not been ordered by the Session. Money was still hard to come by. On June 6, 1937, the Session met to discuss an action of the Presbytery in regard to helping Buechel Presbyterian Church in its financial dilemma, asking our church to give its quota of $5. A motion was made to take a special collection on June 20, to meet that quota and to request Presbytery in case more was raised than needed to take care of the present emergency that the balance be given to Buechel Church on their indebtedness. It was good to see that Beulah was willing and able to help others some by this time. The motion was carried. It’s sad to know that Buechel Presbyterian only exists at Westminster Terrace.
The church was growing. Some members went to Presbyterian churches in other states and new members were received. Still, in April 1939, Session decided to make application to the Home Mission Committee for help in paying the pastor’s salary. They requested $300 for one year. In May 1939, a larger group of elders and deacons were elected. James H. Bates was elected temporary clerk.
Many familiar names at Beulah were in the Session minutes. W.A. Ramsey, H.H. and James H. Bates, Ennis Johnson, the Seubolds, Copeland, David Wright, Elwood Baker, Carl C. Moore, Rush and many more.
In 1932, over 30,000,000 people were unemployed. In 1934, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. In 1937 the Great Ohio River crested 40 feet above normal level. During all these years, people at Beulah Church worked hard and sacrificed for their church and their Lord.
By Jane Tackett
Beulah’s 150th Anniversary 1940-1949
Session meetings were held after worship or Sunday School in the pastor’s study. The Stewardship Campaign, as we know it, was called “Every Member Canvas” in those days. The church year began April 1 and ended March 31. At the March 10, 1940 meeting they met to call a Congregational meeting to vote on the Minister’s Annuity Fund. On the first Sunday in April a collection was taken for the Louisville Council of Churches fund.
In October 1940, at a Session meeting, a motion was made to elect a chairman for an Endowment Fund campaign. It was decided that they would not do anything about this due to the large debt, repairs needed and small salary ($915) paid to the minister.
In June of 1941, the Rev. W.A. Ramsey notified the Session that he had received a call from the Bloomfield and Big Springs churches of the Louisville Presbytery. A committee was elected at a Congregational meeting on August 3, 1941. The members were Robert Turner, Mrs. Carl Moore and Dr. Rush with James Bates being the alternate. On September 18, 1941 Rev. W.A. Benfield was presented to be the pulpit supply during the seminary year at a salary of $75 per calendar month. On December 7, the Session met after worship. This was the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. It was voted in February, 1942 that Rev. Benfield be employed as a supply pastor for the year 1942 at a salary of $827.50.
On May 14, 1944 Rev. Richard Burn was called to Beulah Church at a salary of $200/month and the manse. He was installed on July 3, 1944. On October 8, 1944 it was voted to begin having Sunday night services at 7:30. In May of 1945, it was voted by the Session that four people take up the offering and that the deacons usher the congregation to their pews.
On September 15, 1946 a Church Loyalty Campaign was approved beginning October 6 and continued thru Sunday, November 24. The purpose of this program was to deepen the Christian experience and to extend the outreach of Beulah church. On October 6, 1946 it was decided that when the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was celebrated the congregation would hold the bread and then partake at the same time and likewise the wine. In October, 1947 the Session voted to look into the feasibility of selling part of the back of the church property.
On the night of January 4, 1948 Rev. Burn was in the basement with high school youth when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was pronounced dead at the hospital. After the death of Rev. Burn, the Session voted to pay Mrs. Burn the pastor’s full salary to the end of the church year (3 months). They asked the Presbyterian Seminary to fill the pulpit for this 3-month period. Dr. Benfield was stated supply until August, 1948 at which time, Rev. John DeKruyter was called to be stated supply until April 1, 1949 at a monthly salary of $170 and with use of the manse.
This time period included World War II and although those serving in the armed forces were mentioned in the bulletins, no information was available concerning anyone who made the ultimate sacrifice during this time.
By Jane Flanigan
Beulah’s 150th Anniversary 1950 – 1959
After a series of pastors, stated supplies and temporary supplies stretching from 1871, Beulah installed the Reverend John Dekruyter in July 1950 as a full-time pastor, having waited two years for him to complete his seminary work. That fall, Beulah offered a series of services with the Reverend Samuel VanderMeer of Morris Fork, KY bringing the messages. The budget for 1950-51 included current expenses (for us) $6,135 and benevolences (for others) $2,000; fuel, light and water were budgeted at $300.
Sunday evening services began September 8, 1952, prior to the release of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible on September 30. Explanations were given by the pastor and Jay Marcum, and song services preceded each of these meetings. This effort was so successful that Sunday evening services were “revived.”
The Reverend John A. Kirstein was installed as full-time pastor on October 5, 1952; his first sermon was titled, “Redeem the Time” based on Ephesians 6:10-20. The pastor and six members attended the Christian Leadership School sponsored by the Louisville Council of Churches for six Thursday evenings beginning January 15, 1953. The budget for 1952-53 projected expenses (for us) $7,997 and benevolences (for others) $2,619.
Tragedy struck Beulah families in May 1952 when two children, Jacqueline Mount and Joan Dillingham, were killed crossing Bardstown Road. Tragedy struck again in August of the same year when Jerry Truman, a child of our Sunday School, was killed while riding his bicycle on a road.
Daily Vacation Bible School in 1952 was held in Fern Creek Elementary School’s gymnasium. Total attendance was 159, while the average was 112 pupils. The first year Beulah participated in a Presbyterian Bowling League was in 1952-53; our team won a trophy for best sportsmanship and finished in 9th place.
The three major church committees in 1953-54 were religious education, church extension and stewardship. Beulah’s Men’s Church Organization was formed in February 1954, and within three years was sponsoring dartball, baseball and bowling teams in church leagues. Beulah received 22 transfers of letter, 24 professions of faith, 1 profession of faith & baptism, 2 restatements of faith and baptized 19 infants. In 1955, our education wing was dedicated.
In 1957, Beulah assumed partial support for the Reverend Joe E. Hopper in Chunju, Korea. The Reverend Kirstein received his Master of Theology from LPTS; Vacation Bible School lasted two weeks; and summer worship began at 8:45, with Sunday school at 10:00. Pioneers and seniors were the active youth groups. The seniors built their own stage and presented “Hot Water,” a play considered to be the highlight of their year.
Beulah’s manse ground-breaking ceremony was held in November of 1958, and each Sunday night during winter a sandwich supper was held, followed by a Bible study. Our report to Presbytery for 1958 indicated 45 members added, 31 lost, 391 active members on roll, 409 enrolled in Sunday School with 222 as the average attendance and eight infants baptized.
By 1959, the annual budget was $22,100 for current expenses and $6,670 for benevolences.
Indeed, the 1950’s was a time of unprecedented growth for Beulah Presbyterian Church and for Jefferson County as General Electric developed and expanded Appliance Park. Families of faith joined those worshipping at Beulah to build what is today a mission and ministry in progress.
Beulah's 150th Anniversary 1960 - 1969
1968 was called the summer of love but looking over the bulletins and history of the 1960s, I would have to say the 1960s were the decade of love at Beulah because of the dedication and hard work that its members exhibited during that time.
Like America in general, the Fern Creek area was changing dramatically during the 1960s. For example, in 1960 Beulah’s average Sunday School attendance was 232!
Beulah was rising to meet these changes and was in a strong position to face the challenges ahead.
On January 22, 1961, Reverend Carl Mills was called by unanimous action to be the new pastor. His first sermon was on March 5. But the biggest event that happened at Beulah during the 60s was the construction of the building where we now worship. Reading through the church records one realizes that this was a massive undertaking involving many people of the church. On April 28, 1963, the congregation of Beulah authorized the session to form a building committee to build a new sanctuary. But this committee spawned even more committees so that there were at least twelve different ones organized to plan and build the new church. The committees included:
Each of these committees had several members.
On Feb 20, 1966 we held a ground-breaking service, which became one of my earliest church memories. Harvey Bates was then Beulah’s oldest member and a plow which was guided by Bates was used to break the ground. Enthusiastic boys were commissioned to pull the plow and at the signal to go we pulled with all our might. The plow skipped out of the frozen ground and Mr. Bates was nearly pulled off his feet! Fortunately, he held on tight and came to no harm.
The first worship service in the new sanctuary was held on January 29, 1967, less than a year after the ground breaking. The formal dedication service was held on April 23, 1967.
On October 23, 1967 the Building Committee was formally dissolved, likely to the relief of its members.
By Spence Poole
1968 was called the summer of love but looking over the bulletins and history of the 1960s, I would have to say the 1960s were the decade of love at Beulah because of the dedication and hard work that its members exhibited during that time.
Like America in general, the Fern Creek area was changing dramatically during the 1960s. For example, in 1960 Beulah’s average Sunday School attendance was 232!
Beulah was rising to meet these changes and was in a strong position to face the challenges ahead.
On January 22, 1961, Reverend Carl Mills was called by unanimous action to be the new pastor. His first sermon was on March 5. But the biggest event that happened at Beulah during the 60s was the construction of the building where we now worship. Reading through the church records one realizes that this was a massive undertaking involving many people of the church. On April 28, 1963, the congregation of Beulah authorized the session to form a building committee to build a new sanctuary. But this committee spawned even more committees so that there were at least twelve different ones organized to plan and build the new church. The committees included:
- Building fund
- Building finance
- Pledge cultivation
- Collection
- Furnishing and fittings
- Publicity
- Survey and site study
- CE study group
- Plans & construction
- Organ sub-committee
- And the dedication committee.
Each of these committees had several members.
On Feb 20, 1966 we held a ground-breaking service, which became one of my earliest church memories. Harvey Bates was then Beulah’s oldest member and a plow which was guided by Bates was used to break the ground. Enthusiastic boys were commissioned to pull the plow and at the signal to go we pulled with all our might. The plow skipped out of the frozen ground and Mr. Bates was nearly pulled off his feet! Fortunately, he held on tight and came to no harm.
The first worship service in the new sanctuary was held on January 29, 1967, less than a year after the ground breaking. The formal dedication service was held on April 23, 1967.
On October 23, 1967 the Building Committee was formally dissolved, likely to the relief of its members.
By Spence Poole
Kirking of the Tartans
As part of our sesquicentennial celebration, Beulah hosted a Kirkin’ of the Tartans service on April 22, 2018, during morning worship, with the help of the Scottish Society of Louisville.
Kirkin’ of the Tartans is a celebration of the Presbyterian church’s Scottish heritage. The term Kirking, from the Scottish Gaelic word kirk, which means church in this usage, means “blessing.” Tartans are the traditional plaid emblems of Scottish clans represented by unevenly spaced colored lines and rectangles on woven wool cloth. The Kirkin’ of the Tartans service was created during World War II by Reverend Peter Marshall, perhaps best known by the biographical book and film A Man Called Peter - who was originally from southwest Scotland and at one time pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In order to encourage Scottish Americans to sign up to fight on behalf of Great Britain, Peter Marshall recreated the Kirkin’ of the Tartans ceremony to try to instill pride among Scottish Americans in their Scottish homeland.
While most agree that the service is an American invention, it does seem to be based on the Scottish Proscription when the British Parliament forbade the wearing of the tartans and other Highlander regalia following the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s attempt to restore the Scottish house of Stuart to the throne of England in 1745. In defiance of this proscription, the Scots would secretly wear or carry a piece of their beloved tartan to church on Sundays, and at a pre-arranged signal, the pastor would incorporate a blessing of the tartans into the prayer. Or, so the story goes.
Our service began with a procession of Tartan banners to the sound of bagpipe and drum.
The Kirkin’ of the Tartans service was held at Beulah during our 150th year to celebrate the religious heritage of our denomination, and the prayer of the blessing of the tartans is to be for our varied heritage, a blessing of our families.
As part of our sesquicentennial celebration, Beulah hosted a Kirkin’ of the Tartans service on April 22, 2018, during morning worship, with the help of the Scottish Society of Louisville.
Kirkin’ of the Tartans is a celebration of the Presbyterian church’s Scottish heritage. The term Kirking, from the Scottish Gaelic word kirk, which means church in this usage, means “blessing.” Tartans are the traditional plaid emblems of Scottish clans represented by unevenly spaced colored lines and rectangles on woven wool cloth. The Kirkin’ of the Tartans service was created during World War II by Reverend Peter Marshall, perhaps best known by the biographical book and film A Man Called Peter - who was originally from southwest Scotland and at one time pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In order to encourage Scottish Americans to sign up to fight on behalf of Great Britain, Peter Marshall recreated the Kirkin’ of the Tartans ceremony to try to instill pride among Scottish Americans in their Scottish homeland.
While most agree that the service is an American invention, it does seem to be based on the Scottish Proscription when the British Parliament forbade the wearing of the tartans and other Highlander regalia following the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s attempt to restore the Scottish house of Stuart to the throne of England in 1745. In defiance of this proscription, the Scots would secretly wear or carry a piece of their beloved tartan to church on Sundays, and at a pre-arranged signal, the pastor would incorporate a blessing of the tartans into the prayer. Or, so the story goes.
Our service began with a procession of Tartan banners to the sound of bagpipe and drum.
The Kirkin’ of the Tartans service was held at Beulah during our 150th year to celebrate the religious heritage of our denomination, and the prayer of the blessing of the tartans is to be for our varied heritage, a blessing of our families.