Our Christian heritage of faith and freedom are precious gifts of God that are to be honored and cherished. On Sunday Oct. 14, Franklin Presbyterian Church will do just that by celebrating at our 10:30 worship service the founding of the Church in 1829 by the Scots-Irish in what was then the community of Franklin.
We will glorify and praise God in a unique worship service celebrating our Reformed heritage as Presbyterians. The service will be patterned after the Order of Worship of 1637 of our Mother Church, the Church of Scotland. Members will proudly wear their tartans and the worship service will be accompanied by bagpipers and drummers.The Scots-Irish were among the earliest settlers in Salisbury. As part of the Reformed tradition, these Presbyterian pioneers shared a rich heritage as a people of strong faith, guided by the will of God as revealed in Scripture through the work of the Holy Spirit.
For some in the Salisbury area our ancestors came from Scotland often by way of Ireland, to gain social, economic and religious freedom. The six week journey in cold, wet and drafty ships meant that only the most courageous and hardy would start and finish the journey. By the hundreds of thousands, the Scots-Irish landed at ports in Pennsylvania and Delaware before, during and soon after the Revolution. Families and extended families as affiliated clans moved south and west through the Shenandoah Valley following the “Wagon Road.” They built their cabins and carved out farms in the mountains and valleys of a wilderness comprising western Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North and South Carolina.
They constantly had to battle disease and the elements while looking over their shoulders against attacks by the original occupants who rightly considered them trespassers upon valued hunting lands.
In spite of what today would appear to be insurmountable obstacles, they built a life around religious freedom and individual liberty that shaped the founding of a nation. It is because of their faith and courage we proudly celebrate the Scots-Irish tradition of the Reformed Church of which we as Presbyterians and other reformed denominations are a part.
Today at Franklin Presbyterian Church we are a congregation that represents different ethnic and religious backgrounds but we share a common faith and heritage as members of the Christian Church of which Jesus Christ is the head.
Come and join us for worship Oct. 14 at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Scots-Irish meal. All are welcome.
Additional information about Franklin Presbyterian may be found at www.Franklinpch.com or call the office at 704-633-2292.
The Rev. Dr. Thomas LaBonte is interim pastor at Franklin Presbyterian Church.