A time capsule in a country church is packed with memories

Whoever the minister will be, and with a congregation probably augmented by a few VIPs and special guests, it’ll be a truly historic moment when a time capsule is unlocked and opened to mark the church’s bicentenary.

The recently-closed capsule is a small, wooden casket containing a DVD, a USB pen (memory stick) and an extremely poignant photograph.

The church today has a membership of around 45 families but only a handful of socially-distanced, face-masked worshippers attended last month’s Harvest Thanksgiving service due to Covid-19 regulations. They were photographed in the church, along with the time capsule. Then the photo was put inside the casket by the church’s Minister, the Reverend Gunther Andrich.

The locked casket will be taken from the church’s sturdy safe on June 6, 2052 and when it’s opened, probably using a screwdriver as the key has been disposed of, the congregation of the future will doubtlessly wonder at the masked faces of the 6ft-separated worshippers in 2020!

But there’ll be much else in the time capsule to grip their imagination, catch their eye and capture their interest.

The 75-minute DVD entitled ‘Precious Memories of Pettigo Presbyterian Church’ celebrates and commemorates the talents and service of church members from bygone days with hundreds of photographs and stories spanning 75 years.

All of the photos, memories of the past and stories from days of yore were shared by members of the congregation and compiled by life-long Pettigo Presbyterian and church member Eva Baxter.

Bob Lyons of Lyons Digital produced the DVD which includes pictures and memories of former elders, Sunday School teachers, Clerks of Session and organists.

There are photographs of seasonal church events at Christmas, Easter and Harvest and a vast array of jolly congregational gatherings at concerts, church clubs, children’s plays and charity events.

Story-teller, speech and drama teacher Eva Baxter comes from just outside Pettigo and husband Noel, the church’s Clerk of Sessions, is a retired dairy farmer, originally from Cookstown.

The Presbyterian Church they love and to which they dedicate so much of their time has a proud history going back as far as the 1700s, when its rough-stone predecessor was built in the adjacent Fermanagh townland of Kilmore.

The current building, opened on June 6, 1852, recently had its external plaster rendering removed, proudly revealing its original stone walls.

Eva’s late sister, church treasurer Mrs Louise Thompson (née Aiken) was the congregation’s first ever lady Elder. Louise wrote and published a history of the church called ‘The Meeting House and the Big Bush’ - a title which very aptly summarises its vital place in the community, with an evergreen tree at its ever-welcoming porch.

And the tree makes more than an occasional appearance in the old photos in the DVD!

Along with vintage pictures of the Pettigo Presbyterian Women’s Association celebrating 40 years in action since the mid-1950s and an ‘Old Thyme Religion’ hymn-singing service in 2015, everyone in old-time clothes and starring Finn the pony, Eva drew Roamer’s attention to a photograph of former church organist Gladys Bishop.

“Many folk will know of her,” Eva reminisced,” and many will have sat at her feet learning how to play.”

Gladys played the organ at all the services, started the choir in the 1950s and lived “just several doors from the church,” said Eva, adding “she had all her letters (music qualifications) which was a big thing back then.”

Noel and Eva outlined enough contents of the time capsule to fill a dozen News Letters, and I’ll mention more on this page very soon.

There are memorable moments from a nativity play in 2010; a charity fashion show in 2006; the very warmly remembered church elder and RUC Sergeant James Rodgers BEM from the 1980s and the stars of a Moody and Sankey singalong celebrating the late-1800s American evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody and gospel singer and composer Ira David Sankey.

But to end today’s choices from the casket - one of the photographs locked away till 2052 is of Sam Gibson, the church’s Clerk of Session in the 1950s.

Eva traced Mr. Gibson’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Ogilby Paris, a Professor and acclaimed academic in Oxford University.

Elizabeth recounted her much-loved grandfather’s last days living with her in England, often reminiscing about Pettigo’s little Presbyterian church.

Sam was a former manager of the creamery in Kesh and was enormously proud that local cream was sent every day on the boat-train to some of London’s top hotels.

Elizabeth shared an evocative story about the creamery’s cart-pulling pony called Molly.

“They would load the cart with churns and send Molly off by herself down to the rail station, where the churns would be unloaded and Molly turned around and went trotting back to the creamery.”

I’ll be returning to the church’s time capsule in the very near future but if anyone is interested in getting a copy of the commemorative DVD please contact Roamer via his e-mail address below and I’ll put you in contact with Eva and Noel Baxter.