13 September 2026

When Gilleasbuig Macmillan became minister at St. Giles, busloads of visitors would gather in ‘a competitive cacophony centred on the crossing’. He wished to do something to emphasise that it was a sacred place. His solution was the ‘promotion of the crossing  as the place for the ‘Holy Table’.

In this he was following the Reformers in reducing the chancel to zero and gathering the people around the Table. It is such a simple concept and one which transfers to any liturgical space. The Scoto-Catholic reorientation of our kirks created two rooms – a nave and a chancel instead of one.

It is now a challenged model. Ministers are trying to escape the chancel leaving their robes and pulpit behind. It has become a redundant symbol  through amplification and smaller congregations.

We should redesign our kirks with what David Fergusson calls a restated aesthetic  ‘in forms of simplicity, sobriety and measure’,  centred on the Table in one room and not two. With the sale of buildings and  repurposing of halls, we have an opportunity to return to our roots and revitalise our liturgical space.

This requires a theological foundation and  an illustrative  manual like Richard Giles’  ‘Re-pitching the Tent’ (2009) to stimulate imagination and  creativity. We have already seen how centring  Maggie’s Centres on the kitchen table has brought much healing and consolation to people suffering from cancer.