The Bicentenary Celebrations
Since the stimulus to write the original book derived, at least partly, from the celebration of the bicentenary of the church building in 2004 it seemed appropriate to include a brief summary of the events which were organised to mark the occasion.
Principally, a special bicentenary service was held on Sunday 13th June, the nearest Sunday to the first service held in the building on 11th June 1804. The service was led by the Rev Bob Mayes and the guest preacher was Rev Fraser Aitken of Ayr St Columba’s. A number of guests were invited from other Churches in the district, from local organisations, from the local authority and from the group of local businesses who supported the celebrations financially. The invited guests also included descendants of the Heritors, whose generosity in the past financed the construction of the church building.
The theme of the service, not surprisingly, concerned the history of the church, the changes it had seen, the people who had supported it over its long history. The singing of a psalm in the old style, with a precentor rather than an organ, was much appreciated, and with a full church all of the singing was memorable. The lessons were read by Campbell Hall, the longest serving elder and by Ruth Mayes, the most recent new member. Two members of the junior church gave solo performances; Laura Templeton with a beautiful rendition of psalm 23, and Maggie Mayes with “The Lament to Rev Archie Beaton” on the violin.
In the days running up to the bicentenary service a Flower Festival was held in the Church featuring beautiful displays illustrating many local activities and events. This was mounted by a number of the ladies in the congregation and was financed by generous donations from local businesses and supporters. Thanks to the large number of visitors that the festival attracted a substantial profit was made for charitable purposes. Associated with the festival an exhibition was mounted in the Church Hall and Montgomerie Hall illustrating life in the parish over the centuries.
On the Sunday following the Service the Church “Big Ends Group” organised a Songs of Praise in Dundonald Castle. A congregation of about 60, accompanied by professional musicians, sang a fine selection of praise which made full use of the excellent acoustics of the old building. The service was followed by a supper in the Montgomerie Hall.
Other events during the year included an Auction organised by the Big Ends which raised a substantial amount for their charity fund, and a larger than usual Summer Fete which was also very successful. Prompted by the series of successful events a decision was taken to make a collection of church and parish archives, photos, old events programmes, church magazines, paper cuttings etc. and this exercise is still continuing.
To mark the bicentenary South Ayrshire Council gave a Civic Reception to which members of the Board and Session, and their partners were invited. It was held in the Montgomerie Hall and was hosted by Provost Gordon McKenzie.