As it’s St Fillan’s 900th anniversary I’m looking at Rev. Rutherford’s children’s address, where he talks about the history of the church, this one is for 30th April 1967, he has at last entered the church and is talking about the bible.
Before the Reformaton the church would have been very different with plastered walls with paintings of the saints and the alter as the focal point.
With the Reformation this changed. The Bible rather than the Alter became the focal point. The Bible is the word which God has given us – His message for us.
The pulpit was on the south wall, with the light behind. The Phinn family had a gallery (where the organ is now) giving them the best seats. The chancel was probably shut up and used as the vestry or store. Then they had communion, which wasn’t often, they just brought in a table and placed in in the middle of the pews.
When the church was restored in 1926, the communion table was moved back to where the alter had been and the bible was placed open on it facing the congregation as a symbol that it is for us all to read. Also at the start of the service the beadle brings in the Bible to places it on the pulpit, we all stand as we believe as the Moderator said at the coronation of the Queen, where he presented her with a copy, “This is the most valuable thing this world affords”