Saturday, June 18, 2011

Here's the Church; Here's the Steeple...

...Drive down the road and see all the people.
OK...so that's NOT the original version but you'll understand in a moment. :)

For the last year I have had a project in the back of my mind that I have really been wanting to do. I find the wide diversity wonderfully amazing. Just like any neighborhood, we have churches. BUT down the 3.6 miles of the main road outside my neighborhood, there are 17 – yes, SEVENTEEN churches – and not one of them is the same denomination. That's one church every 2/10 of a mile. Side by side, these 17 churches have existed for years. No conflicts. No racism. No anomosity. Just peace. Someone needs to tell the MSM.

The project I have been wanting to do is take pictures of all the churches. This afternoon I finally started it. I took pictures of all the churches on the East side of the street. I kept watching for a police car over my shoulder because for some reason. I guess it's just a sign of the times that taking pictures of churches could be construed as an illegal and threatening activity. Bah humbug!

First up is Forty Holy Martyrs Orthodox Christian Church. A beautiful church with wonderful domes and arches.




Next we have First Presbyterian Church.


Next door is the Church of Latter Day Saints.


There's a stretch of neighborhood before we come to the church on the East side, The Fort Bend Church. It's the newest and the largest. On Sundays, they have hired a trolley to bring their members from the parking lot and side streets to the building. Maybe they need to build a parking garage next. :P




Past the park we come to a VERY diverse section. Here is Masjid-Attaqwa, an Islamic temple and Islamic "education center" and even a Shifa clinic. Guess it's like a one-stop-shop for all your Islamic needs. :P  I was REALLY nervous taking pictures here. I would have loved to get closer but I didn't want to alarm anyone.



Immediately next door is a very unique building...Chinmaya Prabha. It's a Hindu church. I wish I could have gotten a better picture. The building is raised with a bank of plate-glass windows on the other side that overlooks a huge courtyard. They hang colorful garland inside along the windows during celebrations.



The last church on the east side is what I believe is a South Vietnamese church. They have a huge garden that they tend inside their security fence. 




Isn't this cool!?!? And this is just the East side! Wait until I get pictures of the West side of the street.

UPDATE: Here's Part 2 and Part 3

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Security fence?

There is a church with a parking garage in Atlanta. It's a beautiful church with an ugly PG next to it. Yuck!

whimzee said...

Yep...Security fence. Several of the churches on the northern end of this road have security fences and gates. The Vietnamese, Chinmaya Prabha and the Islamic pictured here do. The ones across the street from the do also. But the "American/European" churches don't. VERY open. Interesting.