Church Life- Beatha na h-Eaglaise
The Chapel on the Hill
John Ross was a son of Chapelhill United Presbyterian Church, worshipping there with his family throughout his childhood and young adult life. The church was built in the 18th century after a congregational dispute with the “Church of Scotland ‘’ over the suitability of the appointment of a new minister. The people of Nigg protested their right to choose a Gaelic-speaking minister and after leaving the Church of Scotland they set up a mission house at Ankerville before building their own church at Chapelhill.
In 1872, a new bigger church was built on the same site serving the area until 1900 when part of the congregation merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the United Free Church of Scotland, which in turn united with the Church of Scotland in 1929. There is still a United Free Church in the area today.
In April 1879, the Rosses attended a “Congregational Soiree” on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the opening of the new church at Chapelhill. It was well attended with audiences from the three church denominations, i.e. U.P., Free and Established. John’s father is listed as Mr Ross, tailor, Broomton.
Church Opening and Ordination
On the 20th March 1872, noted ministers from around the Highlands and Edinburgh met at Chapelhill for the ordination of John Ross, as a missionary to China. This time of great rejoicing was tinged with sadness for John’s family who looked on as their beloved son and brother dedicated his life to the China Mission. In the evening John gave his first address as an ordained minister and within a few months he and his new wife were finalising their plans for travelling to China.
Local Celebrity
John was a popular figure back home in Easter Ross where his presence at local events pulled in the crowds, when he was home on leave. On one occasion his daughter Isobella presented a bouquet of flowers to the Countess of Moray after opening a bazaar in the town hall, in Tain. On another occasion the youth church choir rejoiced in singing the “Missionary A.B.C.’’ in recognition of the work of foreign missionaries. In 1889, when John was on his second sabbatical he gave lectures around Scotland to packed audiences. The United Presbyterian Church produced a number of notable missionaries who worked overseas, dedicating their lives to spreading the teachings of Christianity far and wide.
His parents looked on as their son “was solemnly set apart as a missionary, by prayer and the laying on of the hands by the presbytery.”
The United Presbyterian Magazine, 1872
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