History

As a worshiping congregation in the Episcopalian tradition, the history of St Luke’s reaches back into the remote past.  With the advent of Presbyterianism as the established religion of Scotland, the parish of Monquhitter – to which Cuminstown belongs – could not support an Episcopalian minister before the end of the eighteenth century.  Even then that minister had to be shared with nearby Turriff.  It was not until 1829 that our community began to benefit from a continuous succession of its own properly installed Episcopalian incumbents.

By then the congregation already had a place of worship in the form of a small thatched, barn-like building in the centre of the village.  This survives today in the form of a traditional dwelling house;  it can be distinguished by a stone ball mounted over one gable-end.  The present church of St Luke was built in 1844.  It has a wooden gallery in the west which was removed when the church was given considerable extensions at the beginning of the twentieth century.  It now accommodates 70/80 persons and up to 100 with the addition of extra seats.