HOUSELING CLOTHS

Houseling Cloths

“Monday is wash day: Knox Church, Burlington, Ontario, celebrates 70 years of housling cloths.”

In 1830 in Scotland, Rev. Thomas Chalmers found himself with a dilemma most 20th century ministers would welcome. He was drawing so many people to Sunday worship, the celebration of Holy Communion was becoming a time-consuming practice. And the customs of the congregation were not designed for speed.

Members would come forward, perhaps 12 or 18 at a time, to a table placed at the front of the sanctuary. Not surprisingly, it took a long time to serve everyone. Add to the mix, the invitation, fencing and exhortation which took place at each 'sitting' and the service of Communion was threatening to become tenuous.

Chalmers' solution? Make tables out of pews. Strips of linen or 'housling' cloths, were placed on each pew. The bread and wine were passed from the end of the pews, the large cups of wine refilled from flagons carried by the elders.

The congregation of Knox Church, Burlington, Ontario, began using housling cloths in 1927 under the leadership of Rev. Robert Moorehead Legate. Legate's ministry to the congregation came to an abrupt end when he resigned over the session's refusal to change a Communion date so he could attend the Church of Scotland General Assembly on behalf of the national church. The use of housling cloths at Knox continued, however, and today, they are used at four Communion services yearly.

This meaningful and stately custom does not come without cost. There is a lot of work involved. The linen must be washed, ironed, rolled and placed on each pew using small, metal clips.

After 70 years, it is obvious Knox Church finds the work worthwhile, and the fabric of the congregation strengthened through its use of housling cloths."

“Monday Is Wash Day: Knox Church, Burlington, Ontario, Celebrates 70 Years of Housling Cloths.” HighBeam Research, Presbyterian Record, 1 May 1997, www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-30108778.html.
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