inSPIREd Sunday

September 2016 - St. Joseph Wisconsin

A drive by photo of the Blue Roof Church, yes, it is called that.

Immanuel Presbyterian Milwaukee WI

September 2016 - Milwaukee WI

Organized in April 1837, Immanuel Presbyterian is the oldest continuing congregation in Milwaukee. When its 1874 structure (1100 N. Astor St.) was built, it was touted as the state’s largest Christian church, and one newspaper called it “the most magnificent church edifice ever erected in the West or Northwest.” One of Edward Townsend Mix’s most important commissions, it soon became a major tourist attraction. The limestone structure was accented with dark red and gray sandstone trim, giving it the polychromatic look of buildings in Venice. The congregation could also brag about its original pipe organ, powered by a water motor using available pressure from the street main. In 1887, there was a fire, and the fire engine got stuck in the snow several blocks away. It took six horses to get it out, but by then, the entire inside of the church had burned. After two subsequent reconstructions, the church was completely restored.

Wordless

September 2016 - Kalamazoo MI

Bell's Brewery.

Kalamazoo Churches

September 2016 - Kalamazoo MI


Click here for more photos of Kalamazoo.

Some churches as we strolled around. There were quite a few of various denominations surrounding Bronson Park.
In 1834, Titus Bronson, the founder of Kalamazoo (once named Bronson Village) donated some of his land to what later became known as Bronson Park. He donated space to the first four religions that became incorporated into the village according to law. The land amounted to 64 square feet for each religious dwelling. The first sermon of each was held in Bronson's home, which is where St. Luke's Episcopal Church now sits.

The original five churches that were included in the Bronson Park churches were the Baptist Church, First Congregational Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Reformed Church, and the First United Methodist Church. These churches were founded by less than 100 people and have served southwest Michigan for a combined total of over 800 years.

The First Presbyterian Church that is located on the south side of Bronson Park.

First Reformed, it appeared to be closed/under renovations?

I'm not sure which church is the one with the steeple on the left. On the far right you can see the First Baptist.

The Baptist faith reached this portion of the Michigan Territory in 1826 when a missionary preached to the Potawatomie living in this area. In 1836, a year before Michigan became a state, fourteen settlers met in a frontier home to organize the First Baptist Church.

Gethsemane Episcopal Church Minneapolis MN

October 2016 - Minneapolis MN
Gethsemane Episcopal Church
It is one of the oldest extant churches in Minneapolis and is significant for its Gothic Revival architecture.

Architect Edward Stebbins modeled the church on small Gothic style churches in rural England. It is proportioned rather broadly, as opposed having tall proportions, which is rather unusual for churches designed in the late 19th century. The area surrounding the church was primarily residential when it was first built, but it is now surrounded by commercial development.

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Gethsemane Episcopal Church began with a handful of people in 1856, seeking to establish a worshiping community in the soon to be burgeoning city of Minneapolis. For over 150 years, Gethsemane has been sowing seeds of worship, community, and justice.

I had to look up the meaning.

Gethsemane (Greek: Γεθσημανή, Gethsemane; Hebrew: גת שמנים‎‎, Gat Shmanim; Syriac: ܓܕܣܡܢ‎, Gaḏ Šmānê, lit. "oil press") is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, most famous as the place where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before Jesus' crucifixion.

Tuesday Treasures

September 2016 - Paw Paw MI

Painted by Southwest Michigan Artists' Association recreation of old postcards.

St. John the Evangelist Milwaukee WI

October 2016 - Milwaukee WI

The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the episcopal see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

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OK I had to see what Wikipedia meant by episcopal see. An episcopal see is, in the usual meaning of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with "diocese".

Archbishop John Henni purchased land for the cathedral in 1844. The cornerstone was laid on December 5, 1847, after nearly $30,000 was raised for construction. It was completed in 1852 and dedicated to John the Evangelist.

The original tower was deemed unsafe and the section above the clock was replaced with a taller tower in 1893, which was designed by noted Milwaukee architects George Ferry & Alfred Clas. A fire partially destroyed the church and most of its contents in January 1935. Only the tower remained fully intact. Rebuilding was completed in time for midnight mass on Christmas Eve of 1942.

In 2001 a gated garden and atrium were added at the north end of the building.

A large tomb-shaped baptismal pool and marble font is also situated prominently in the center of the sanctuary.

A huge crown of thorns.

Weekend Reflections

October 2016 - Minneapolis MN

Outside the Guthrie Theatre.