THE KIRK AUXILIARY 11

by Miss Katharine MacLennan

In l9h0, there was great enthusiasm among the women ofihe Kirk when the Ladies' Aid and the Guild of St. James joined to form one society "The Kirk Auxiliary." At first there were two groups, one which met in the afternoons and the other in the evenings. Most meetings were held in private homes where the members prepared articles for the bazaars or sewed or knitted for the Red Cross. The attendance steadily increased. One year 175 members were enrolled.

The first venture of the new society took the form of a theatre night when a play "Saturday Night” was put on by Kirk members. This proved so successful that the play was repeated 8 second time. Over $100 was realized, despite the fact that the admission price was only 25 cents.

Once or twice during the war years, teas or bazaars were cancelled and collections were made in their stead. Rationing was the cause. However, the amounts collected did not compare with the amounts made at the bazaars. As soon as possible, the holding of annual teas and bazaars was reinstated.

During the war, emergency hospitals, first aid posts, and disaster relief kitchens (and there was one at the Kirk) were set up in various parts of the city. Many of our members volunteered to man these stations. Just as one general meeting was getting underway, the air raid siren sounded. In a matter of minutes, the hall was practically empty as the workers had left for their posts. Few were left to carry on.

In the l9h0's, the Auxiliary installed lights over the pulpit and the memorial tablet. They forwarded to the Trustees $100 for repairs to the steeple, and provided prayer cards for all Auxiliary members. Contributions to community needs included hymn books and cash donation to the new church at Wood Islands, and emergency sewing on P.E.I. Hospital sheets, replacing those which had been destroyed in a fire at Sterns' Laundry.

New Look

Early in l9hh, there was a necessary reorganization of the Kirk Auxiliary. The bright idea of zoning was suggested, and four groups were formed, namely: Brighton, Central, East, and West. It has been brought to our attention that some time after l9Al—2 a small group of young women (eight or nine in number)

formed a young women's group. About 1946 and in later years, this group increased considerably and rendered valuable assistance to the other groups of the Kirk Auxiliary for many years. The Dorcas and J.O.Y. groups were formed later. At present.time dates are not available. In 1955 the Central group joined with the East and the young women's group took the name of the Central

group.

This arrangement worked well. Tb make the bazaars more competitive, each group had its own table, and competition was keen. The cake table, candy table, and tea tables were the responsibility of all groups.