----- Original Message ----- From: stuart.gardner To: Badenoch4@aol.com Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 8:28 PM Subject: floating Church ----- Original Message ----- From: Badenoch4@aol.com To: stuart.gardner@btinternet.com Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 4:00 PM Subject: Floating Church Hi Jim, From another book ' The Highlands ' by Calum I. Maclean:- At the time of the Disruption in 1843, when the free church broke away from the parent church of Scotland over the question of lay patronage, the proprietor of the district refused to give the adherents of the new denomination a site on which to build a church. Not to be out witted, the free kirkers collected money and bought an old ship on the Clyde. It was fitted up with a church, roofed and all, and towed up the Clyde, and up Loch Sunart and anchored near Strontian. Every Sunday the preacher and worshipers rowed out in boats to the floating church and had their services. Seldom, if ever, were the waters of Loch Sunart rough, and the size of the congregation was always gauged by the depth of the ship in the water. The floating church was in use for a long time, but the free church finally acquired a site on which to build. I also know that before the ship was purchased the services were held on the shore in that place, even through real hard winters, they would put up a kind of tent, somewhere I have seen a picture of this, and a picture ( pencil drawing ) of the floating church, I remember reading that they entered from the stern, the alter being ain the bow, but I cannot find this, maybe I had seen it somewhere else. Hope I have been of some help. Stuart