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Kyleakin Parish Church - A History of the Building

The substance of this history has been graciously provided by Mrs Helen MacRae who has attended Kyleakin Church since 1940.

The Church of Scotland in Kyleakin was built prior to 1897.

During the 1930s there were paraffin lamps and heaters that were attended to by appointed church officers who also rang the bell. The Parish Minister Dr Hector MacLean, who had been in the post since at least 1915, lived at Broadford, and the Missionary, Mr Dougal Munro, was based at Kyleakin. Mr Munro had been the last missionary at St Kilda when that island was evacuated in 1930.

In 1947 electricity came to Kyleakin and the Womans Guild raised funds to pay for the church heating system.

In 1961 Rev Martin MacRae, a native of Kyleakin who had retired to the village, laid the foundation stone of the Church Hall. Work was completed in the spring of 1962. In 1966, the church itself was completely renovated including new flooring laid and replacement pews purchased from churches in the south. The Mission House was also built in the sixties; the first Missionary to live there was Mr Willie John MacDonald.

In 1981, during the ministry of Rev Jack MacArthur, in order to accommodate overflowing numbers the balcony was added. In 1983 the proposed union with Sleat was confirmed giving the Minister of Strath greatly increased responsibilities. An Associate Minister was promised for both Sleat and Kyleakin. A new house was planned to replace the former Sleat Manse. The congregation bought the Kyleakin Mission House in 1987 and it was subsequently sold in 2001 to help finance the building of the Associate Ministers house at Kilmore.

In 2003 the interior of the church was fully redecorated by the tireless energies and generosity of members and friends. The church has been richly enhanced to the glory of God.

History of Church Furnishings

Plaques

In 1921 Rev Martin MacRae dedicated the oak tablet containing the names of those who died in the 1914-18 War and performed the same sad duty following the Second World War.

Organ

The organ was presented in memory of our late missionary Mr Donald Macintyre who died in 1954. This was replaced in 2003 by a new electric clavinola.

Communion Table and Chairs

Around 1965 Miss Barbara MacRae offered the Communion Table and Chairs in memory of her late parents, John and Margaret MacRae, Hillside, Kyleakin.

Baptismal Font

In 1967 Mr and Mrs Billy Finlayson left the village and as a farewell gift to the church presented the Baptismal Font. Both Mr and Mrs Finlayson had played the church organ as had Billys mother before him.

Praise Board

In 1960 Mrs Douglas-Hamilton gave the Praise Board in memory of her late husband. They had resided at Dunringell for eleven years while it was still a private house.

Flower Stand

Mrs Nicolson gifted the Flower Stand to the Church in memory of her husband Ian. They had a holiday cottage in Kyleakin and were related to the Reid family.

Lectern Bible

In 1971 the Bible on the lectern was gifted to the Church by the Womans Guild.

Church Pew Bibles

In 1984 Mrs Christine Graham presented the Church with a quantity of NIV Bibles in memory of her late husband Angus who died in 1982. He had been an elder in the church for thirty-two years.

Lectern

In 1991 Mrs Ena Sikorski gifted the lectern in memory of her late husband Wacek, a native of Poland, who settled in Kyleakin after the Second World War.

These furnishings, generously gifted, have served Gods purposes in the church in Kyleakin throughout the years. God has been faithful through the service of many who have gone before. We aim to carry the torch of the Gospel high in the present and pass it clearly to those who are yet to come.