St. Andrew's Kirk is one of the oldest buildings in

Georgetown Georgetown or George Town may refer to: Places Africa *George, South Africa, formerly known as Georgetown * Janjanbureh, Gambia, formerly known as Georgetown *Georgetown, Ascension Island, main settlement of the British territory of Ascension Isl ...

, Guyana that has been continually in use for religious purposes. The Dutch Reformed congregation laid its foundations in 1811. However, due to financial difficulties it was acquired by Scottish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

s and was formally opened for service on 28 February 1818. It was the first church in Guyana built by Europeans in which slaves were allowed to worship. It is situated near the Parliament Building on the north eastern corner of Brickdam. During its bicentennial in 2018, then President

David A. Granger David Arthur Granger (born 15 July 1945) is a retired military officer who served as the 9th President of Guyana from May 2015 to August 2020. He served for a time as Commander of the Guyana Defence Force and subsequently as National Security ...

remarked that the church was a "social microscope", as a monument to the city's colonial Dutch and British heritage, the first church to open its doors to enslaved Africans, and also as barracks for the Provisional Battalion deployed for suppressing the

Demerara rebellion of 1823 The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving more than 10,000 enslaved people that took place in the colony of Demerara-Essequibo ( Guyana). The rebellion, which began on August 18, 1823, and lasted for two days, was led by slaves ...

. A historic service was held to mark Emancipation on 1 August 1838, which was attended by then Governor Sir Henry Light and many

Afro-Guyanese Afro-Guyanese are generally descended from the enslaved people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Coming from a wide array of backgrounds and enduring conditions ...

. The church established a school in 1841 and hosted public concerts and recitals.

Leadership

Rev. Oswald Allen Best was the first Guyanese minister serving from 1974 until his death in April, 2009. In September 2011, Reverend Maureen Massiah, was appointed. Massiah is the first female Minister elevated to the full status of Ordained Minister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrew's Kirk, Georgetown Churches in Guyana Churches completed in 1818 Dutch Reformed Church buildings Presbyterian churches in South America Scottish diaspora Buildings and structures in Georgetown, Guyana

Leadership

See also

References