THE STORY OF ABBEY CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, NORTH BERWICK
A REVISED VERSION OF A BOOKLET PUBLISHED
BY
E.S.P. HEAVENOR, M.A., B.D., Ph.D.
First published in 1963 and revised and up-dated in 1993
Page Five
It was during Dr Robertson’s ministry that the provision of a hall was seen as a necessary addition in the furtherance of the Church’s work. The hall was opened on 29th September 1890. The precise figure of the cost is not known but estimates and some small accounts add up to something under £600 albeit the Hall was insured for £800. Mrs R Whitecross put in part of the stained glass window in memory of her husband, the rest of the window being put in by a number of donors. Funds for the hall, for better heating, for lighting apparatus in the Church and for extinction of debt were sought through a Grand Bazaar on 9th - 11th August 1888. The amount realised was £1028 gross and £840 net, a colossal effort. Over the years since then, various improvements were carried out, one of the more notable being the addition of kitchen premises during Mr Gunn's ministry at a cost of approximately £1,100 largely raised as a result of efforts of the Woman’s Guild and others. Most recently having celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening of the hall, there was general recognition of the need to improve facilities within the hall. Some £14,000 was accumulated in the Redevelopment Fund and £16,000 was allocated from reserves leaving a balance of £14,000 to rise through a direct appeal to the congregation. Once again the response was generous and although regular users of the hall e.g. Sunday School, Woman’s Guild experienced some difficulty during the carrying out of the major works, the improved facilities were there for all to see when the hall was re-opened in September, 1991.
At the turn of the century the incumbent was the Rev. John Robertson M.A. D.Sc. who demitted this charge in 1903 when he became Professor of Apologetics in Toronto, Canada. He was succeeded in 1903 by the Rev. Robert Small M.A. who, according to his son, the Rev. Dr. R Leonard Small - later to become Moderator of the Church of Scotland, came to Abbey from a church in Edinburgh after a serious illness and was not expected to last long. His ministry from (1903-1937) was in fact the second longest in Abbey’s history. The ministry of Rev. A Taylor Mackenzie M.A., B.D. from 1937-1949 covered the war years. While Mr Mackenzie was translated to Colombo, he returned to North Berwick on his retirement and resumed his membership of Abbey. From 1950 until 1956 the charge was held by Rev. A G Gunn B.A., who at the end of his ministry at Abbey was translated to Knightswood, Glasgow, following which he returned to New Zealand the land of his birth. The Rev. E S P Heavenor M.A, B.D., Ph.D., came to Abbey from Jamaica. Not the least of his achievements in a ministry which lasted from 1956 until his translation to St. Michael’s, Crieff in 1964, was the authorship of the first edition of Abbey Milestones. When Dr. Heavenor came to Abbey there had been talk of the need for readjustment in North Berwick, a union of Abbey and Blackadder seemingly being the most likely outcome. When Dr. Heavenor left a possible union was very much a live issue but the Session presented to the Presbytery their case for maintaining the status quo and eventually Abbey was allowed to call a Minister but with a minimum age restriction of 55 years. A call was extended in 1964 to Rev. R Nichol Bell M.A., B.D., then Minister of Barclay Church, and Edinburgh who served faithfully until his retirement from the ministry in 1974. When the Rev. R Nichol Bell retired, Abbey was again allowed to call a Minister but on this occasion the minimum age restriction was 60 years. The choice of Minister was the Rev. J G Lees, M.A., who came to Abbey in 1975 from Lothian Road, Edinburgh until he too retired in 1984 after nine years of faithful service. It was obvious to all that on this occasion the pastoral needs of North Berwick and the area surrounding it would receive very close scrutiny by the Presbytery. Following extensive discussion, between the Presbytery’s Union and Readjustment Committee and all the churches in the locality, it was ultimately decided that Dirleton and Abbey should form a linked charge, the linkage to be deferred until Dirleton fell vacant. A joint vacancy committee was appointed and in due course Rev. P H Cashman was inducted to Abbey in 1985. When in 1989 Dirleton fell vacant the linkage became fully effective and Mr Cashman automatically became Minister of Dirleton as well as Abbey. As for the other Churches in North Berwick, the Presbytery’s Union and Readjustment Committee later recommended that Blackadder and St Andrew’s should unite and when the ministers of these charges decided to retire, the union took place with Blackadder Church closing and the united congregation of St Andrew Blackadder worshipping in what had been the Parish Church of St. Andrew.
What choice memories are woven into the history of this Church in this beautiful seaside town. In imagination one can picture a splendid procession of noble men and women who have stood by this cause, worked for it, sacrificed for it, and witnessed a good confession. To what purpose? Their successors alone can answer that question. The voice of the past calls modern members to resolve that they too will do their best to leave to those who follow a worthy cause of which future generations will be equally proud. As the Rev. George Brown looked into the future on 19th March, 1818 as he preached his sermon on the ‘glorious Reformation’ under Martin Luther, he called Abbey members to do four things - cordially to believe Reformation principles; to instil them into the minds of their children; to pray for others that they might be brought to a knowledge of the truth; and to give to the Bible Society that the Word might be sent everywhere to hasten the coming of the Kingdom. ‘Believe ... Witness ... Pray ... Give.’ Could there be a better summary of the challenge of the Abbey past? Let Mr Calvert have the last word: ‘The thought of resting is not to be entertained for a moment... there are far greater things to do than those we have yet accomplished.’