The
Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald
of 7 December 1883 carried the following report.
CONSECRATION
OF SAINT ANDREW'S CHURCH, ARDROSSAN
On Friday 30 November - Saint Andrew's Day - the Church of Saint Andrew, Ardrossan
was consecrated by the Right Reverend, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway. The
Bishop and Clergy entered the church at twelve o'clock noon by the vestry door
and took up their places on the chancel steps after which Dr R Beedie Robertson,
one of the original trustees and vestrymen of the church, presented to the Bishop,
on behalf of his co-trustees and vestrymen, a petition praying that the church
might duly be consecrated to the service of God. After the petition had been
read by the Reverend M B Hutchison of Saint Ninian's Glasgow, one of the Bishop's
chaplains, his Lordship intimated his pleasure in acceding to the prayer of
the petition. The Bishop and clergy walked slowly down the centre of the church
to the west door then slowly retraced their steps, repeating as they went, in
alternative verses with the congregation, the twenty-fourth psalm. On entering
the chancel the Bishop seated himself in his chair when Dr R Beedie Robertson,
on behalf of the Earl of Eglinton, one of the original trustees and founders
of the church and the donor of the land, who was prevented from being present
by the death of his brother, the honourable Seton Montgomerie, presented the
Bishop the titles of the church property which the Bishop laid upon the holy
table and, turning to the congregation, began the consecration service
At a particular part of the service, the Dean of the diocese read the sentence
of consecration and placed it upon the holy table where it was signed by the
Bishop in presence of the people. After this the Bishop, kneeling down, said
"O thou, the High and Lofty one who inhabitest eternity, who are exalted
far above all heavens and yet has declared that thou dwellest with the contrite
and humble spirits on earth, grant, we beseech thee, that this house which we
have now presumed to dedicate to thee by our office and ministry may also be
hallowed as thy temple of old was hallowed by the sanctifying power of the Holy
Ghost and so forever continue through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God who dost
live and govern all things, world without end, Amen. Then followed the order
for morning prayer, read by the incumbent, the Reverend Robert Mordue, the first
special lesson from the Old Testament being read by the Reverend W L Low, Largs,
the second from the New Testament by the Reverend W L Gallacher, Girvan, the
litany being read by the Reverend M B Hutchison.
The Very Reverend, the Dean of Glasgow and Galloway, then entered the pulpit
and preached from the sixth verse of the one hundred and twenty-second psalm
- "O pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper and love thee.".
After pointing out what a noble object of interest Jerusalem with its temple
was to God's people of old as a channel of grace and blessing to them and showing
that all the tokens of his presence there vouchsaved by God to his people were
but times and shadows of those good things which we Christians enjoy. The preacher
then said "First, let me refer, for a few moments to the service in which
we have engaged this day and which, I am sure, will tend to add solemnity to
your feelings when you enter these now hallowed walls. One Saint Andrew's Day
saw the foundation of this building laid. Another saw the building opened under
the Bishop's licence for public worship but even then, on account of the encumbrances
on the building, circumstances might have arisen in which it might have been
diverted from the sacred purpose for which it was erected but now, through the
blessing of God on your exertions, these encumbrances have been removed, the
surroundings have been completed to fence it from desecration and all put into
such a state that you are enabled to ask your Bishop on this Saint Andrew's
Day to consecrate it to the honour of God's great name separating it henceforth
from all unhallowed, ordinary and common uses and dedicating it to his service
only. This must be at once a source of gratification and thankfulness to those
who have interested themselves in this work and it will secure its being preserved
always for the sacred purposes for which it is dedicated as a house of God.
May it be to all who enter here truly a house of God and the gate of heaven.
May you daily avail yourselves of the opportunities and means which shall, in
God's name, be offered here to worship God and obtain his grace and may the
fruits of all be seen abundantly in your daily life and conversation. May those
among whom you live, when they take knowledge of you, own a truth that you have
been with Jesus and all to the glory of God.".
The very reverend gentleman then pointed out that this psalm teaches the way
in which we may most effectually manifest the depth and sincerity of our love
to the Church of God and help on the gracious work which God instituted his
church to accomplish in the world, namely the sanctifications and the final
salvation of mankind. "David's feelings", he said "manifested
themselves in prayer for the cultivation of peace and unity, not that peace
that is popularly understood, but that peace which leads to Christ to agree
in the truth of God's holy word and live in unity and godly love.". In
speaking of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the preacher said "The church
may seem a small body in this land. Once it was otherwise. It was the church
of the nation but for political reasons at the period of the revolution, the
government of the day saw it fit to deprive it of its temporalities. It was
disestablished and disendowed. Government could not, however, deprive it from
its original powers which came from God and though the state may confer on the
church temporal benefits and, if it pleases, may take them away it cannot deprive
it of the divine mission or spiritual authority. Resting on their divine mission,
our bishops and clergy of the day took quietly the spoiling of their goods and
continued to minister in holy things to those who, in this land, adhere to Evangelic
truth and Apostolic order. We, their successors, continue to do the same. Owing
to the severity of the penal laws enacted against the church in the last century,
the members adhering to it became, in the course of time, greatly diminished
and our bishops and clergy few and greatly depressed. Better days have begun
to dawn on the church. Many have been awakened to a sense of truth and have
been gathered in and the number of its members increases so I trust they will
do and, maybe hope that in God's good providence, the time may come when our
sad divisions be healed and all may be united into one body in Christ then would
the glory of God be prompted by the hearty cooperation of all against evil and
unbelief. God's cause and God's truth would be more fully advanced and sin and
sorrow and suffering more effectually restrained and lessened.".
There was a celebration of the holy communion which as well as the consecration
service was well attended. The offertory for incidental expenses and some recent
repairs on the church was liberal. Thus has been completed the work begun by
the Episcopal Church in West Kilbride Chapel in the year 1851, carried on with
varying success till 1872, finally organised then and removed to Ardrossan on
Whitsunday,1 June 1873. In addition to the splendid communion vessels belonging
to Saint Andrew's, a miniature set which is used in the licensed chapel in West
Kilbride appeared in the chancel and the only special adornment which of the
church for the day was a beautiful floral cross of white camellias and chrysanthemums
on a ground of maiden hairfern which was suspended from the centre of the wall
behind the holy table. After the service, the Trustees and Vestry entertained
the clergy and such members of the congregation and friends of Saint Andrew's
Church as were able to be present at lunchtime in the Eglinton Arms Hotel.