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March 20, 2012 

EVENING SONG- music and meditation

Candle LightThe last Sunday night of each month, CPC members, friends, and community members gather at 6 o’clock for a time of contemplative prayer that we call “Evening Song.” This 35-minute service incorporates scripture readings, musical meditations, and time for silent reflection. Those present are also invited to participate in open and responsorial prayer and simple, repeated congregation songs as they feel led. The music consists of traditional contemplative hymns as well as responses used in the Iona Community on the western shores of Scotland (http://www.iona.org.uk/) and the Taizé Community of Southern France (http://www.taize.fr/en).

Inspired by Taizé styles of worship, the musical accompaniment consists mostly of quieter acoustic instruments (such as strings and woodwinds) that support the singing of those assembled. Also similar to the practices at the Taizé Community, the service takes place within a darkened sanctuary, illuminated by a host of white candles at the front. All are invited to attend.


January 27, 2012 

The Power of We

Survey Checkmark GraphicWhat do you think?  For the past few months, that’s been an important question we’ve been asking at CPC.   Thanks to all who participated in the Carrollton Presbyterian Church, “Your Opinion Counts: Planning our future together – The Power of We” assessment.We had an amazing response– over two thirds of people who were asked to participate took time to fill out the thirty-minute member survey.  To make sure everyone had a voice, Mary Woodfin, our Christian Educator, also developed a survey that included our kids and youth.In the near future, we’ll be getting data back from the survey.  Then our Session and Strategic Planning Committee will use it to help steer our direction and make CPC’s 2012, as well as the years ahead, a time for change and a time for nurturing new relationships in both church and community.  Thanks again to everyone who participated.  Your thoughtful and prayerful opinions, along with the grace of God, will help guide CPC into the future.

January 24, 2012 

New Look

A Heart in the CityIf you’re reading this, you’ve noticed that the CPC website has got a new look.  We’re hoping it will be easy to navigate.  We’ll also be posting lots of great stuff for you to discover and enjoy.

There is so much going on in the church – so many disciples doing good work. If you are involved in a ministry that you feel passionate about – if you are part of a class that just rocks your world – if you’ve found a place where you can inhale OR exhale the love of God, let us know about it. We’d love to get pictures and thoughts to post here on the website.


November 1, 2011 

Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans

Kirkin' o' the Tartans on the Square in Carrollton

Kirkin' o' the Tartans on the Square in Carrollton

In the swirl of pipes and the beating of the drum, CPC brings a time-honored Scottish tradition to town- the “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans.”

The Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans is a ceremony based on Scottish history and legend. After Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish forces were defeated by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, a British act was passed that forbade the Scots from wearing tartan. In fact, orders were given for British troops to shoot, on sight, any person dressed in Highland garb.

Tartan was the hand woven plaid material that was worn by the occupants of that rugged country. It not only provided warmth, its different designs and colors represented the wearer’s family connections. Forbidding the display of the tartan was like cutting them off from their community. But the stubborn Scotts prevailed, secretly carrying a scrap of the cloth hidden in their clothing when they went to Kirk (church). The minister slipped a blessing (a Kirkin’) into the service for those tartans and the families they represented.

After fifty years, the Act was repealed, and the Church of Scotland celebrated with a Service of Family Covenant, where the tartan of each family was offered as a covenant expression for the Lord’s blessing.

Every October, Carrollton’s own Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans recalls that tradition, beginning at the Square and continuing to Carrollton Presbyterian Church, where the actual service takes place under the gothic arches of the historic sanctuary.

Jan Stewart Tolbert, the pastor at Carrollton Presbyterian Church says this about the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan, “This part of the country was settled in great part by people from the British Isles . . .Scotland, Ireland, England. This service is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate that heritage that so many of us here share.”