Greensboro Daily Photo

First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro

Greensboro saw its first Presbyterians in 1824 and, six years later, the original First Presbyterian Church was built at the corner of Davie and Church Streets. Today, in its present location at the corner of North Greene Street and Fisher Park Circle, First Presbyterian is an assemblage of six buildings. In the photo above, we see the exterior part of the sanctuary built in 1929, a brick version of the fortress gothic style. The building was inspired by the Cathedral in Albi, Southern France.  Learn more about the building's architecture here.

First Presbyterian stands majestically on a hill, overlooking Fisher Park.  From this Greene Street view, we can appreciate the scale of the property as we see people being called to worship. Barely visible behind the trees is the breathtaking stained-glass, rose window, typical of the Gothic architectural style. Downtown Greensboro is in the background. 

 

Proximity United Methodist Church

For over a century in Greensboro, working in the nearby mill was a way of life. Between the mill and the mill-homes were churches, grocery stores, shops, bars, and ball fields. Neighbors worked together, socialized, married, and stayed together as a tight knit community. Here we see Proximity United Methodist Church at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Vine Street. Proximity UMC would have been such a church filled with mill families. Here we see this building, still majestic with it's corner orientation, columns, and grand staircase. 

As far as we can tell, the Proximity UMC does not have a website so we weren't able to find out much of the history. We do know that, at present, it houses an Hispanic Ministry. Also, we saw a wooden sign advertising a pinto bean meal event. Finally, just down the street from the church, you can see renovation taking place at the old Cone Mills Property. If you attend this church or know more about it, please share your information. 

 

Bethel AME Church

We close out African-American History Month with a Sacred Sunday photo of Bethel African Methodist Eposcopal Church on East Market Street. The church is located just down the street from NC A&T University and Bennett College. According to their website, Bethel AME has been "witnessing to the world since 1869" and their mission is to minister to the needs of all people by word (witness) and deed (action).The purple cloth draped over the wooden cross reminds us that the Lenten Season is upon us. Tied with extra loops and with ends aloft, the cloth shows just how windy it was in Greensboro yesterday. 

It is hard to believe that a mere 28 days ago, we were here, celebrating the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum and Center in downtown Greensboro.

 

Eternal Life Baptist Church

Eternal Life Baptist Church characterizes the traditional churches of the rural south-- a small white building, gravel parking lot, gnarly, mature trees, and lots of spirit. It is located on a sleepy part of Church Street where stand-alone buildings are on the brink of being replaced by franchises and apartment complexes. Also, in our local newspaper, The News and Record, Nancy McLaughlin wrote an article about the struggles of these small churches as, increasingly, they have to compete with the big box churches. Read the article, In Walmart world, churchgoers want options, here.

According to the marquee, the pastor for Eternal Life Church is P.T. Noble. Other than their Sunday services, they hold Bible Study on Thursday evenings. This church is just across the street from the home we affectionately call the world's smallest house. Finally, since we have so many new readers now, if you're here for Sacred Sunday and you want to see what we've featured over the last year, look here.

 

...this is the steeple.....

This is the church and this is the steeple.... at Centenary United Methodist Church on Friendly Avenue. On Wednesday, February 10th, winds over 50 mph ripped through our town and huffed and puffed and tried to blow (among other things) this church down. Fortunately, the church is made of brick and all that toppled was the 25 foot fiberglass steeple. The steeple has been in place since the 1980's when it replaced a smaller one. 

This is our Sacred Sunday shot, when we take time to reflect and be thankful that Greensboro made it through the wind storm. The photo is grainy because we took it at night with minimal ambient lighting. It reminds us of an x-ray. We're sharing this with the Monochrome Weekend crowd to let the world see the teetering steeple.

 

First Lutheran Church of Greensboro

We took this Sacred Sunday shot of the First Lutheran Church before the the big snowstorm hit Greensboro on Friday. When the leaves are on the trees, the church is almost invisible-- even though it is in a prime location at Friendly Avenue near Holden Road. This view, taken across the street on Friendly Avenue shows the dramatic roofline. The church is dynamic, inviting, and busy every hour from morning into the evening, hosting everything from Girl Scout meetings to 12 step programs to prayer circles. 

Unlike Ebenezer Lutheran with its full history online, the history of the First Lutheran Church is not available on their website. Even more confusing is that First Lutheran doesn't appear to be the FIRST Lutheran Church built in Greensboro. One would assume that when a church calls itself First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Lutheran that it is, chronologically, the FIRST of the denomination built in a given town. If anyone knows the date First Lutheran was built, please let us know. Since the snowstorm has immobilized the city, we probably won't get by to investigate firsthand!!!! 

 

Gran Poder

Just down from Fanta City-- yesterday's GDP post-- at 4516 West Market Street, you will find the store "La Vaca Ramona." This grocery store caters to the large Hispanic population in Greensboro. For today's Sacred Sunday, we are featuring a few of the prayer candles sold at La Vaca Ramona. Here, we see various depictions of Christ and, to the left, San Juan Diego. In Mexican Catholicism, San Juan Diego was a Mexican who had a Marian apparition in 1531. Recently, in 2002, San Juan Diego became the first indigenous American saint to be canonized by the Catholic Church. In a different (unseen) shelf at La Vaca Ramona, you will find the religious candles with women on them (e.g., The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Santa Barbara). 

For Greensboro's Hispanic Catholics, many of whom are thousands of miles from home, $1.69 must seem like a small price to pay for the comfort and culturally relevant tradition of lighting a prayer candle. 

 

Wells Memorial Church of God in Christ

Wells Memorial Church of God in Christ is located across the street from Bennett College and just west of North Carolina A&T University, between East Market and Lee Streets. To help you orient to the location, notice the round  "Aggieland" smokestack on A&T's campus in the background.  Wells Memorial does not have a website so we can't tell you much about it other than it is a beautiful facility. Notice the angular facade is filled with chunks of colored glass that glow beautifully when seen from the inside. The church has at least three activity vans so we're guessing that fellowship and outreach are important parts of the church's mission.

On another note, today, on Sacred Sunday, we are trying to decide how to spend the Martin Luther King, Jr.  holiday tomorrow. If you, too, are looking, may we recommend this extensive database of activities, searchable by state. Secondly, we are re-watching Dr. King's historic "I have a dream" speech. Over eight million people have viewed the speech here.  Regardless of ethnicity, we can all benefit from remembering Dr. Kings words, especially the following, "I have a dream that one day...... the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." What can we do to enhance the table of brotherhood? Finally, if you follow this link, you can see the church where Dr. King was to speak on 4/4/68 but cancelled his visit to stay in Memphis where he was shot that very day.

 

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

Our Lady of Grace (OLG) Catholic Church is beautiful on the outside as well as the inside. This photo of the interior was taken after a recent wedding service. The interior is constructed of brick and limestone. Vaulted ceilings and decorative woodcarvings add to the beauty of the church. The chiaro marble sanctuary and side altars, imported from Italy, are breathtaking. Greensboro owes the construction of OLG to Ethel Clay Price, a devout Catholic married to Baptist Julian Price. As a memorial to his wife, Mr. Price donated the money for its construction. 

The Prices were married in 1897 and the funding for the church was made available in 1946. World War II delayed construction efforts until 1950. More about the fabulous church history is available here. Today, on Sacred Sunday, we dedicate this wedding photo to the wedding that started it all!

 

On the 12th Day, Tom Clark

Today, on the 12th day of Christmas, the Epiphany, we are sharing Tom Clark's Holy Family and nativity scene. Clark was a professor of religion at Davidson College in Cornelius, North Carolina. He also received art training in several countries. While best known for his gnomes, equally impressive are his religious figures and his scaled miniatures of historic people like Davy Crockett and Thomas Jefferson. We are proud to feature Madame M's collection, which she displays alongside her now-famous Santon collection.

Unless we decide to feature Eastern Orthodox Christmas, which falls on January 7th, this photo should be Greensboro Daily Photo's "swan song" photo for the Christmas season. However, we are continuing the tradition of posting something spiritual on Sunday (Sacred Sunday) and will present more on the Paschal Mystery as we approach Easter. For now, enjoy the gnome-like faces on the Holy Family and google "Tom Clark gnomes" if you would like to learn more about his art as well as the value of the pieces. They are even available at Replacements, Ltd.!

 

On the 9th Day, SANTONS

For today's Sacred Sunday shot, on this 9th day of Christmas, instead of bringing you 9 ladies dancing, we take you inside the home of one of Greensboro's many Francophiles and share her creche from Provençe.  Our friend amassed this grand collection piece by piece during her many decades of traveling from Greensboro to France.

Santons are terra cotta figures depicting the nativity. The first representation of the nativity, albeit life sized, was by St. Francis of Assissi in 1223. However, the French Revolution, with its closing of churches and prohibiting of nativity scenes, popularized miniature nativity scenes made from terra cotta figures. The making of santons has been popular in Provençe since the late 1700's and is a family craft handed down through the generations. The figures represent actual villagers-- shepherds, millers, woodcutters, fish mongers, a blind man, the wise men-- all marveling at the birth of Christ, whose figure is depicted with wax.

Every Christmas, our friend in Sunset Hills brings her figurines down from the attic and intricately places them one by one recreating not only the nativity scene but also her memories of trips to France and her selecting the 2" figures, all crafted by santonnier, Marcel Carbonel. As we pen this post, Madame M's voice resounds, "Bonsoir Joseph, Marie, enfant Jésus, fermier.......Ça va, rabassier?......... et les Rois Mages........comment allez-vous ce soir?" 

Only after she makes sure that all 50+ figures are in place can she step outside and enjoy the hundreds and hundreds of Christmas light balls hurled into the canopy of mature trees lining her street.
 

Nativity Scene @ Greensboro College

Today, we bring you Sacred Sunday direct from Greensboro College. Greensboro College is a methodist-affiliated, private, co-ed college that was founded in 1838. For over seventy years, they have featured this depiction of the birth of Jesus on the West Market Street edge of campus. In 2007, the creche was vandalized. Fortunately, a new one is in place and, although on the Biblical calendar, technically the wise men have not yet arrived, we wanted to share this scene on Sacred Sunday. This nativity scene looks majestic with the snow around it.

If you are looking for a year-end tax write off, Greensboro College has been struggling with the economic downturn. Please consider dropping a few dollars in their coffer. See details here. This little college attracts the nicest students and has some fabulous faculty members.
 

Greensboro's Littlest Angel

If you read yesterday's post, you'll recognize this little angel as one who is preparing to be photographed with the the Holy Family in the nativity scene at Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. This little child seemed to be an angel even without the costume. Childhood is such a magical time and memories like this one, last a lifetime. For those who celebrate it, Christmas is such an easy time to do special things with our little ones. Greensboro is a great city for December activities, secular as well as lay!

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekend which makes us pause and ponder. Will heaven be monochrome or in color? Oh, and will there be tennis shoes and bobby socks on angels in heaven?

 

Breakfast with Mary and Joseph

Religious institutions worldwide work hard to help children understand their beliefs and traditions. To that end, Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro hosts Breakfast with Mary and Joseph. Each December, the nativity scene is set up. Family members don costumes and pose for pictures with the Holy Family. Many families use these photos as their Christmas cards. Here we see a few angels and a small shepherd with a very large staff, in between photo sessions! 

At this event, children eat a continental breakfast, listen to the Christmas story, and make religious crafts. No Santa here!... Please notice the Moravian star, representing as the Star of Bethlehem. Breakfast with Mary and Joseph took place yesterday, so, if you are interested, you'll need to plan ahead for next year.  In the meantime, we wish you a Happy Sacred Sunday. If you want to see our other religious photos for the year, follow this link.

 

Moravian Village & Nativity Scenes

Onlookers marvel at the intricate details of the Moravian village and nativity scenes displayed at the First Moravian Church on S. Elam. The village and nativity scene is known in the original German as "putz", meaning to clean or to decorate. Usually, they are  found under Christmas trees in homes of people of the Moravian religion. These scenes usually depict a manger scene and its surroundings in Biblical Bethlehem.

Our local newspaper, The News and Record, featured an interesting story on the elaborate process and longstanding annual tradition of installing this scene on a little stage in our local Moravian church's fellowship hall. We selected this photo for Monochrome Weekly because it could have been taken fifty years ago in black & white; save the woman in a hoodie, the scene hasn't changed much!.

 

Moravian Star

As Monastery Daily Photo reminds us, we are well into the Advent Season. During this spiritual time for Christians, Moravians decorate with their iconic symbol, the Moravian star. The first Moravian star dates to the 1830's at a Moravian school in Niesky Germany. Not always an Advent symbol, the first star had 110 points and, given the beauty and intrigue of this polyhedron, likely, was part of a geometry lesson. Most of the stars today contain 26 points. As an Advent symbol, the Moravian star represents the Star of Bethlehem. 

If you are in the Christmas spirit and want to see Moravian stars in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, first, you can travel to the Moravian Church on S. Elam where this photo was taken. Additionally, you can head about 35-miles west to the historic town of Old Salem where the Moravian Star is the official Christmas decoration. The City of Winston-Salem also decorated with them.  Finally, a 31-foot Moravian star is displayed on the North of Tower Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

To see the First Moravian Church of Greensboro and learn a little more about it, please refer to our  November 15th Sacred Sunday photo. Since that post, we have learned that the original location of the Moravian Church was on East Lee Street, constructed in 1908.

 

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Featuring an Episcopal church for our Sacred Sunday has been long overdue. Here we see St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, located at 2105 West Market Street. Although their website does not have a history section, we did learn that the church is over 100 years old at that it has at least 500 members. This brick, steepled structure is a traditional style, common throughout America. 

St. Andrew's is a bit hard to photograph as it is located on a busy street and the structure is long and skinny. However, we do like the way the steeple glistens against the blue sky. If you live in Greensboro, you realize this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago as, lately, the skies have been extremely overcast!

 

Get Me to the Church on Time

For this week's Sacred Sunday shot, we feature a little flower girl leading her daddy into Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church for a wedding. Likely, they were running a little bit late and she didn't want to miss a minute. In my mind, she was singing the Lerner/Loewe song, "Get Me to the Church on Time." I can almost hear the lyrics, written for the 1956 musical, My Fair Lady, as I organize this post.

Mostly at Greensboro Daily Photo, we post photos of buildings for Sacred Sunday; however,we are quite aware that a house of worship is nothing but a piece of architecture without people. Hats off to this little girl and her papi.

Salvation Army Select

On Friday, November 13th, The Salvation Army opened an upscale thrift-shop in the Lake Jeanette neighborhood of Greensboro. Several months in the making, students from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro collaborated with the Salvation Army on the design of the Salvation Army Select Store. One of the students' many artful touches is the trail of red shoes leading shoppers across the length of the strip mall to the entrance. Both man in the background and the one in the reflection on the right are following their wives into the store. The attractive boutique does not have the usual cluttered look of a thrift shop and the goods are name brands, clean, and neatly organized. Weather you are a shopper or looking for a place to donate gently-used clothing (for men, women, and children) do visit this collaborative venture that gives back to the community. To bring more worldwide visibility to this post, we are linking to Ruby Tuesday, in celebration of the "ruby slippers!"

Since 1865, the Salvation Army has been saving souls, one donation at a time.

Our Lady of Grace School

The weekend is over and children head back to school today. Our Lady of Grace School is a private, Catholic School, located on Chapman Street, just behind the church. Founded in 1953, OLG (as it is known locally) serves 370 children in grades K-8. 

We offer this photo for Monochrome Weekly. Emerging from the darkness of the tree trunk, the statue to the trio of people was just glowing in the sunshine this weekend. If you notice our other posts, we're really pretty obsessed with brilliant COLORS; however, sometimes you find something that was just meant for black and white!

First Moravian Church, Greensboro

Finally some sunshine this week and what better way to enjoy it than to get out and photograph our great city? For this week's Sacred Sunday shot, we feature the First Moravian Church of Greensboro at 304 South Elam Avenue. The church is about to enter its busiest season, Advent, and will host it's largest fundraiser, a candle tea, bake sale, and bazaar-- we believe the first weekend in December. At the tea, sip warm beverages, eat Moravian cookies, and learn about Moravian Christmas traditions. 

While the above building only dates to the 1950's, the Moravian Church is one of the earliest Christian denominations in the world, having been organized in 1457 about 100 miles east of Prague. The first effort to establish a Moravian Church in the United States was in Georgia in 1735. North Carolina's most famous Moravian settlement is Old Salem, about 40 miles west of Greensboro. We will visit the First Moravian Church for the tea and Old Salem between now and Christmas.

Faithway Baptist Church

Faithway Baptist Church, 610 E. Lake Drive, sits at the edge of a city park/walking trail overlooking the area where Bryan Blvd. curves on into downtown. This church is within walking distance to the Lake Daniel and Westerwood neighborhoods. They've had the same pastor, James Bledsoe, for nearly 20 years.

Unfortunately the website for the church does not tell the history of the building and when we were on this night photo shoot, we didn't find a cornerstone with a date. The sign in front reads, "The truth shall make you free.. thy word is truth."  Actually, it reads,  "thywor  dis   truth" but we think they suffered a case of the shifting letters! Happy Sacred Sunday, Faithway! The light on the door looks like a cross!

On a sad note, this week, in Greensboro, a 14 year old boy took his own life. As you look at friends, relatives, strangers, young and old alike, please keep your words kind and inviting. Often it is not apparent who is troubled, self-loathing, and in pain. In closing, please pause to reflect on the week-- regardless of your belief system.

Church of the Covenant

The cornerstone on the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant reads 1914; however, the need for a Presbyterian church to meet the needs of the neighborhood between State Normal and Industrial College and Greensboro Female College (now UNCG and Greensboro College respectively) was established in 1894. The original wooden structure, completed in 1906, was replaced by this brick one in 1914. Greensboro architect Harry Barton designed this building with two equally grand façades with Ionic porticos to take advantage of the corner lot. The façade on the left faces Greensboro College and the one on the right faces the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

This liberal-minded church community bills itself as an inclusive, open-minded, home for your soul. In additional to more traditional services, they have extensive, inspirational music events. Over the years, with expansions, the building encompasses the major portion of the city block and has helped keep the Mendenhall/Walker Avenue area of College Avenue a spiritual haven for many. 

This is our contribution to what we have dubbed Sacred Sunday. Also, every first of the month, the 1,000+ City Daily Photo sites are invited to participate in theme day. This month's theme is: Doorways. Here we offer TWO!   Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses

Today's Sacred Sunday post is The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Pisgah Church Road. In line with their avoidance of religious symbols or iconography of any kind, The Kingdom Hall, featured in this photo has only a sign at the road announcing the gathering place for Witnesses. While on site, we had the good fortunate to speak with one of the elders who answered our questions about his religion.

The religion is relatively new, getting its start in the 1870's with Charles Taze Russell and the Bible Students. They actively evengelize, discussing their beliefs and sharing their publications with all who are interested. The religion is Bible-based with Jehovah, the English translation of God's Biblical name as the focus towards which all worship should be directed. Jehovah Witnesses believe that the last days of the present world order are near. If you want to read more about the religion, much is available on the internet, especially at their Watchtower site and on Wikipedia. The denomination has no paid employees and operates exclusively on volunteerism.

Pumpkin Patches for Charities

Greensboro has a great tradition of churches, especially youth groups, selling pumpkins as a fall fundraiser. Here we see a man and his daughter purchasing pumpkins at the Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church at the corner of Battleground and Pisgah Church Road. The daughter carried a small pumpkin and daddy carried the large one. "Just one," he reminded her and kudos to her dad, he stuck to it! Even we couldn't leave with just one apiece. The gourds were so fabulous and unique that we left with a bag full-- enough for a centerpiece for only $7.50. 

According to the members of the youth group, they anticipate selling almost 70,000 pounds of pumpkins and gourds. The supply looked fresh and abundant when we were there a couple of days ago. So, happy Saturday, why not head out and support a local youth group?  Make your house look like FALL and, if you celebrate Halloween, carve away! 

Stations of the Cross

For Sacred Sunday this week, we offer a view of 5 of the 12 panels in the Stations of the Cross artwork at the West Market Street United Methodist Church. Traditionally, the Stations of the Cross features the end of Christ's life in 14 pictures or stations. In the West Market Street UMC collection, the 14 events are presented in 12 panels. The artwork, completed around 1890, was sold by the French church near the Belgian border once the church closed. Eventually, they were acquired and donated by the Fouts family in memory of Dan Fouts. As Father Adam of Monastery Daily Photo has pointed out, it is unusual for a Methodist Church to own this, traditionally Catholic, artwork. Regardless of owner, the paintings are stunning, and, in their balcony location, accessible to worshipers.

First Baptist Church at Night

 Once more, we feature the First Baptist Church of Greensboro for Sacred Sunday. The church is as beautiful at night as it is on a sunny, cloudless day. Even with this side view, it is hard to appreciate the size of this church! 

Night scenes are particularly in beautiful in autumn when the leaves are changing, rustling, and falling to the ground. Imagine the above site years ago when all was dark and, rounding a country road, one happened upon the glow of a white steeple and bell tower. Such a beacon. Does anyone know how it is that a church gets the name "first." Is the First Baptist Church or First Presbyterian Church really the first one in town?

Union Memorial Methodist Church on Lee St.

In this sunrise photo of the Union Memorial Methodist Church on East Lee Street, the church looks like it could be a century-old, country house of worship. In reality, the church is located at the edge of a busy road in Eastern Greensboro. The church seems to be a dynamic one with one of the ubiquitous signs with great quotes updated weekly. We couldn't find a website for the church but just had to share the silhouette for Sacred Sunday. Is there any doubt this is a church?

Cathedral of HIS Glory

Cathedral is a 26-acre, 2,000 seating-capacity church located on Lake Jeanette Road. Their pastor, Dr. C. Paul Willis is an ordained minister of the Southern Baptist Convention. While the literature does not state explicitly that the church is Baptist, the do state that they are Christ centered, inspired by the Bible, and believe in the laying of hands for healing. The church has an extensive website and their television ministry reached millions each week. Pastor Willis can be followed on Twitter!

Today, on Sacred Sunday, we elected to post a photo of the sign as opposed to the gigantic, angular, geometric building. We like the peaceful, inviting look of the well- landscaped sign.

Christ United Methodist Church

Christ United Methodist Church, located at 410 N. Holden Road, with the tall cross-topped structure and sprawling campus, has been one of our most challenging Sacred Sunday photo shoots yet! The church, organized in 1956 met initially in neighboring Sternberger School and had 246 charter members; amazingly, 40 of whom are still members today. Christ United was sponsored by West Market United Methodist Church when it was determined that Greensboro needed a Methodist Church west of the city. Groundbreaking for the first building took place in 1958. Over the last 50 years, the church has expanded significantly not only the physical facility but also the mission and outreach programs. Fitting with today's trend, they offer a range of services from traditional to contemporary.

Bell Tower at Guilford College UMC

The Bell Tower at Guilford College United Methodist Church is the highest point of the sprawling church complex located at 1205 Fleming Road. The bell tower was built as part of the 1988 construction of the new sanctuary under the supervision of then pastor Dr. J.C. Groce. We believe it was dedicated to the memory of his daughter, Jennifer, who died in a car accident. 

For centuries, bell towers have been found on church grounds and attached to civic buildings worldwide. They are used to mark time or to announce present and imminent danger. Bell towers can also be referred  to as a belfry or a campanile. The GCUMC belltower in the photo above, against the backdrop of the sizzling blue sky, is reminiscent of something found in California. The white tower glows in the afternoon setting sun. 

In June, the church celebrated its 50th anniversary. While  the first worship service was held in the Guilford College Student Union in 1959, with 57 persons in attendance, it is not affiliated with Guilford College, a local institution of higher education started by Quakers. We had the good fortune of meeting current Pastor Tom Gibson and his wife. Pastor and Mrs. Gibson were hospitable and welcoming to us, as we were traipsing about the church grounds snapping photos right and left. Guilford College United Methodist Church congregants are lucky to have this charming, energetic husband and wife team at the helm. 

We hope you have a restful, reflective, and spiritually renewing Sacred Sunday-- regardless of your belief system.

Sanctuary of West Market Street United Methodist Church

Happy Sacred Sunday! Recently, we published an exterior view of the West Market Street United Methodist Church in downtown Greensboro. Several commenters thought the exterior of the building looked German. 

Today, we take you inside to see sanctuary. The beautiful Dobson-Rosales organ sounds even better than it looks-- and it looks stunning!  The stained glass windows are said to be Tiffany. The rounded pews wrap around the sanctuary and soften the look of the interior. In person, the rounded shape and minimal hard edges is even more apparent. Truly, the building is a feast for the eyes and the soul outside as well as inside. In future weeks we will share examples of the artwork. Fortunately, this downtown church continues to thrive. Hopefully it will be here for another century, or two, or three...

If you are visiting the blog today for the Sacred Sunday post and want to see our earlier posts in this category, please click here for eight months of Sundays!

Union Grove Baptist Church: Sin and Salvation in one Field

Union Grove Baptist Church looks like the typical brick and white-steepled church in the American south. However, Union Grove Baptist has the distinction of being located behind a tobacco field on Highway 150 and Union Grove Road in northwest Guilford County. Therefore, for today's Sacred Sunday, we have combined salvation and sin in one photo! 

The website for the church is very informative with respect to church events, beliefs, and mission. Unfortunately, they don't have a page telling about the history of the building and the congregation. Otherwise, we would share more.

By the way, we're pretty sure the church does not own the tobacco field!

St. Matthew's United Methodist Church: Another Sacred Sunday

St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, organized in 1866, is the oldest and largest African-American Church in the Conference of Western North Carolina. The church, located at 600 East Florida Street, has occupied several location and structural changes. The current building, photographed from the back-- Britton Street side, was built in 1971 and has an angular, mod, linear, yellow-brick 1970's look.

The church has accomplished many religious, educational, social, and civic deeds in it's 140+ year history. As examples: In 1873, Bennett College, a local institution of higher education for African-American women, started in the basement of St. Matthew's. The first Boy Scout troop for African-Americans in Greensboro was organized and met here (Troop 441).

This is Greensboro Daily Photo's eighth month of Sacred Sunday shots. Search "religion" on our sidebar categories on the right to enjoy other photos.

West Market Street United Methodist Church

West Market Street United Methodist Church is today's Sacred Sunday post.  The history of the church, including its growth and its many locations, is outlined on their extensive website. 

The original part of the church, seen in the foreground of the above photo, was built in the late 1800's to accommodate the growing number of Methodists in the city. Not long after the church had been built, its stained glass windows were acquired. They are authentic Tiffany windows and, I believe, were brought to Greensboro by the pastor, via the world's fair at the turn of the last century. Another treasure of the church was acquired in 1999, a Dobson-Rosales organ. Additionally, they have a set of the "stations of the cross" paintings, known also as the Via Dolorosa. The paintings, depicting key points in the life of Christ,  date from about 1890 and come from a small church in France near the Belgian border. 

We applaud WMSUMC for staying downtown even through the years when many organizations were relocating to the suburbs. At some point, we hope to get inside the church and photograph the artwork. For now, we can enjoy the building itself as a work of art framed by a turquoise sky and light, billowy clouds.

Buffalo Presbyterian Church

The Buffalo Presbyterian Church, located at 803 16th Street, was established in 1756. The founders and members were mostly Scotch-Irish coming from their homeland to Greensboro via Pennsylvania. According to the website of the church, the present sanctuary was erected in 1826-7 and when the walls were extended in 1956, great effort was made to match the old hand made bricks. This beautiful property includes a memorial garden, two educational buildings, an historical room, a renovated manse, and a cemetery on the property. Buffalo Church has many community outreach projects.

Long, multiple-building institutions (like churches and schools), in older neighborhoods, on well-landscaped lots, are almost impossible to do justice with one photograph. We could post a photo a Sunday of Buffalo Church and have enough photographs for the year. We settled on this view because it shows you how peaceful the property is once you get out of your car and walk around. Also, if you will notice the mature palm tree. Greensboro is located in the USDA Hardiness Zones 7a and 7b, which is a risky for palms outdoors; however, given the protection from the building, the palm trees on the church grounds seem to be thriving. 

National Conference of Christians and Jews

The National Conference of Christians and Jews was founded as an interfaith organization in 1927. To be more inclusive and appeal to members of all faiths, the organization was renamed the National Conference for Community and Justice -- NCCJ in both instances. The organization's objectives include promoting harmony between people with different belief systems and ethnic backgrounds. One important event for the organization hosts is Anytown, where high school students come together to learn conflict management and how not to judge, bully, discriminate, or have biases against others. Today, August 2, 2009, Anytown Session II kicks off another weeklong session in Greensboro.  

Rabbi Fred Guttman and Reverend Mark Sills are co-recipients of the organization's 2009 Citation Award. In 1991, Local  Chief Justice Henry E. Frye was awarded the Brotherhood Award when the organization was still called the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The above photo is of the Fisher Park office, located across the street from the First Presbyterian Church. Follow the above Anytown link to see photos of last year's participants.

Ebenezer Lutheran Church on Sacred Sunday

For our Sacred Sunday shot this week, we offer Ebenezer Lutheran Church. On the right, you see the older part of the church, dating back to 1929. To the right, you see the 1998 addition incorporating more areas for fellowship (kitchen, fellowship hall, gymnasium, narthex, and storage area). While the plaque on the side with the blue doors reads 1929, actually the church was incorporated in Greensboro in 1907 as Ebenezer Lutheran Church of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. The church has a very interesting history which is documented extensively on their website. The church is located at 310 South Tremont Drive, at the corner of Walker Avenue, very near UNCG. The Ebenezer Lutheran has a history of racial integration and tolerance. The church has a long tradition of outreach to the community. As a matter of fact, in Hebrew, Ebenezer means, "stone of the help."

According to their website, Ebenezer centers its beliefs on the Sacred Scriptures and key words providing insight into the theology include: "justification, forgiveness, the sovereignty of God, love, grace, cross, covenant community, Body of Christ, true presence, hope, love, faith salvation, new life, fellowship, and the Holy Trinity." 

The photo above captures a tiny part of the church on the Walker Avenue side. The actual address is Tremont Avenue where there is a very long extension and entrance leading to the main sanctuary. 

American Hebrew Academy: Religion and Scholarship Together

The American Hebrew Academy is the only Jewish Pluralistic College Prep Boarding School in the United States. The Academy is located on 100 acres at 4334 Hobbs Road in Greensboro, across the street from Temple Emanuel. Here we see a night shot of a small corner of the soccer field fully lit at 10:30 p.m. with students practicing. This sprawling campus is stunning on rolling hills with many beautiful buildings. However, campus security is high with a gatehouse and checkpoint at the only entrance and the entire campus is fenced around the perimeter. We took this picture through the wrought iron fence because it looks so beautiful at night. Next time we feature the campus, we'll go by day and try to get an appointment to go inside.

The school's goal is to develop students' academic potential while helping them learn to become tomorrow's Jewish leaders.  Building a sense of community is emphasized. As stated on their website, "(a)t sunset every Friday, students and teachers gather for Shabbat. There are Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv prayers followed by a family-style meal complete with Zamirot (Shabbat singing), Birkat ha-Mazon (grace after meals), and Israeli dancing. Shabbat morning services follow a late wake-up call. Students often lead morning and evening prayer services held every day at the Academy.

St. Pius X Church: Under Reconstruction on North Elm St.

Saint Pius X Catholic Church, located at 2210 North Elm St., is being rebuilt from the ground up and, as seen above, is a work in progress. The parrish electively chose to demolish the 1954 sanctuary to build something that will accommodate their 21st century needs. In the meantime, services are held in the gymnasium of their adjacent parochial school. Through the process, the bells, seen above, have remained firmly in place, but the mammoth "crux cuadra" has been relocated to the school side of the property. 

St. Pius X Greensboro is blogging about the construction process. If you are interested, you can see how builders weathered the seemingly monsoon rains of spring and read the adventures of their rescuing five beautiful, feral kittens. While the ecclesiastic purple insulation is a stunning color, somehow, we don't think it is the chosen color for the outer façade!