About St. Andrews Society of Aiken, Inc.

Welcome from President of  St Andrew Society of Aiken

  The St. Andrews Society of Aiken is entering into its seventh year.  In the past, we have sponsored Burns Night Suppers, the Highland Games and Celtic Festival, parades, ceilidhs and various other activities.  Our membership has grown from approximately 35 to over one hundred. We are very proud of our society and its accomplishments.

 We are a non-profit organization having achieved the 501 C 3 tax status.  Our budget is composed of the general fund, which also contains event, charitable and educational monies.  We have given gifts to the community as well as to our members in time of need.  We also will be sponsoring a cultural scholarship for Scottish arts.

 We are a family-oriented society.  This year, in addition to Burns Night and the Games, we will have a Rummage Sale to raise money for our Endowment Fund.  We will also hold a Tartan Day celebration, and a picnic/kids day.  We will also celebrate Beltane, Samhain, and Hogmanay.  Other activities include parades and concerts, which are scheduled for our area.

 Board meetings are open to the general membership and are held four times a year.  Our annual general meeting will be in July and each social will contain a brief meeting to discuss the business of the society.

 Dues are $15 for annual and $150 for lifetime membership for single persons.  Family memberships are $25 and $250. 

 Please contact me if you would like further information.  Our e-mail address is SassyLassieUSA@aol.com

Who Was St Andrew
St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee who met Jesus, abandoned the search for fish and became one of the original disciples. Legend says that his persecutors were about to crucify him on a cross like Jesus' cross, but he said he was not worthy of the honor and so was instead hung upside down on a Saltire-shaped, or "X" shaped cross.

The Scottish connection began not too long after the crucifixion when a ship from Greece was driven by a storm onto the shores of Scotland. One of the survivors was a monk named Regulus or Rule, who said that an angel had ordered him to carry relics of St. Andrew to Scotland. Religious relics were venerated throughout the Dark and Middle Ages and consisted of some bones. A church was built around the bones brought by the monk and the settlement became known as St. Andrews.

About St Andrew Societies
The first organization of a St. Andrews Society was in the early 1600s when a group of gentlemen net in London, England to provide aid to indigent Scots. Their moot was "Relieve the Distressed".

This and educational benefits, are the primary focus of the modern St. Andrew Societies. The first one in the United States was formed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1729. It was named for the patron saint of Scotland and was formed to lend assistance to widows, orphans and others in need of  help.

St. Andrew Society of Aiken
The St. Andrews Society of Aiken strives to follow the objectives of old by providing charitable and educational assistance, not only to descendants of Scots, but to the community as well. We strive to promote Scottish cultural and education activities such as the annual  Burns Night Supper in January. Formed in 2000, Aiken's Society now has over a hundred members actively supporting our efforts.

St. Andrew Society of Aiken Officers Are:

Upcoming Events

About Aiken SC

Web site of Aiken Chamber of Commerce:  www.aikenchamber.net

Web site of City of Aiken:  www.aiken.net

Web site of Aiken County: www.aikencounty.net