Gardiner, Maine church gets new (secular) life

I got an email from Doug Drown yesterday: Several years ago I sent you a link informing you of the sad demise of the Gardiner, Maine Congregational Church (UCC), formerly the First Universalist Church — one of the handful of congregations that elected to affiliate elsewhere rather than be part of the UUA merger.   This… Continue reading Gardiner, Maine church gets new (secular) life

The architecture of Universalist National Memorial Church, in detail

I was Googling for a set of 1939 orders of service from the Universalist National Memorial Church — where I was once minister and now, after a long break, am now a member — and found Sixteenth Street Architecture,  a fine architectural survey of Washington, D.C. “avenue of churches” from just north of the White… Continue reading The architecture of Universalist National Memorial Church, in detail

Saw in Toronto: picture of the church inside on the outside

I saw something clever when Husband and I vacationed in Toronto this summer. We passed by a United Church of Canada parish church — a huge edifice, with what I guess is historically small congregation. But they did something smart to make it seem welcoming and lively.  Something other urban churches could do. On the… Continue reading Saw in Toronto: picture of the church inside on the outside

Universalist Register 1912: Dining with the Universalists

The 1912 copy of the Universalist Register I wrote about had illustrations and advertising in the back. Such fun. One of the images was of one of the locations of the Universalist Publishing House, then on Boylston Street, very close to the Arlington Street Church. The building is still there, perhaps incorporated into the building… Continue reading Universalist Register 1912: Dining with the Universalists

Photos from inside First Universalist, Providence

I’ve been to First Universalist Church in Providence a few times over the years, but never so long as over General Assembly, when the church hosted morning prayer and vespers, and the usual Sunday service with a special observance of Holy Communion. Here are a mix of photos, taken after the services in the sanctuary,… Continue reading Photos from inside First Universalist, Providence

R&E Newsweekly: making use of church buildings in decline

This segment, from this week’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, pushes one my buttons: the experience that churches with just enough space are the ones that tend to survive. A recession following a big building campaign, or a congregation with unaffordable maintainance costs often leads to closure. That, and once a religious building is lost in… Continue reading R&E Newsweekly: making use of church buildings in decline