A brief history of the Eight O'Clock Club

The Eight O’Clock Club ....
Have you ever heard people talk about the Eight O'clock Club and wondered what it was an about? We asked Jessie Sinclair who attended the inaugural prayer / planning meeting to tell us more....

"1967 is a long time ago but many will remember the ministries in Wick of Rev Charles Gellaitry of the Baptist Church, Rev. Sandy Gunn {St Andrew's (now Pulteneytown Parish Church) and Rev. Hector Cameron of the Free church, divided by denomination but united in the Lord's service and in their concern for the people of Wick.

Hector Cameron had for some time run a youth club on a week night in the Assembly rooms and felt that there was a need for something more specifically Christian in content for older teenagers and young people at work. Charles Gellaitry and Sandy Gunn were of the same mind and, being school chaplains along with Hector, were concerned that young people should be faced with the claims of the Christian message. Together with one or two others they met for prayer in the vestry of St. Andrew's Church one evening some time in 1967. That was the beginning..........

Soon after that Charles Gellaitry moved south to another charge and Sandy Gunn and Hector Cameron along with a few others met now and again to discuss the aims and plans. From these discussions the Eight O'clock Club was formed.

The purpose was to provide for older teen-agers and young people at work a forum where issues relating to the Christian life and faith could be presented in a variety of ways and discussed in an informal atmosphere.

It was decided to have the Sunday evening meeting after church in the Assembly Rooms - this would be somewhere 'neutral' making it easier for folk with or without a Church connection to come along. All were welcome (people came sometimes from Thurso, Bower and Keiss) and there was no upper age limit!

Different themes lasting a few weeks each provided the subjects for meetings which were organized by a different group of four each week and varied in presentation talks, quizzes, interviews, films, testimonies, etc.

Once the club had established itself as an interdenominational meeting point the meetings moved to the hall of St, Andrew's Church.

People came and went - Hector Cameron moved to another charge in 1970 - but until 1973 when Sandy Gunn also moved south to another charge there was always a core of people to present the weekly topics and to Organize the annual "Cornelius Night" when a special effort was made to invite friends and family along.

After 1973 fewer people were attending, no doubt the circumstances of many of the original group had changed, people did not come to fill their places and the Eight O'clock Club came to an end.

In these six years or so the club provided a fellowship of different people from all sorts of Christian backgrounds learning to appreciate their unity in Christ Jesus and through teaching and discussion learning more about the faith and how to live as Christians and how to reach out to others.

How did it get its name?

After much talk and suggestions, no doubt from the sublime to the ridiculous, a blight spark said; "Whatever you do, don't call it the Eight O'clock Club!" That decided it."

Jessie S Sinclair