Check out the descriptions of four churches or chapels from Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories...
1. From Warrior Monk...
The Puddleworths’ sensibilities when erecting this gothic-style building back in the nineteenth century made for an ideal abbey. The family’s original small chapel still served for private prayer. After taking over the facility, the Catholic Church merged another four rooms on the ground floor into the facility’s main chapel.
The windows along the north side of what was called the Holy Family Chapel long ago were replaced with stained glass scenes from Acts. Stephen found that interesting. He could not recall being in another church or chapel with scenes from the Book of Acts. These included the Ascension, Matthias being chosen to replace Judas, Pentecost, Peter and John on trial, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, Paul’s conversion, and Paul preaching in prison.
But Grant’s attention was drawn to the window between Peter and John, and Philip. That was the martyrdom of Stephen. Grant, in fact, was specifically named by his mother after St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. So, this was a scene Grant was familiar with – Stephen gazing up at Jesus at the right hand of God the Father, the Holy Spirit as a dove shining the power of faith down on Stephen, all while an angry crowd threw stones to kill Stephen.
Hope that’s not prophetic as well.
He turned to the altar, behind which was a wall of statues of saints, with Mary and Joseph atop looking down lovingly on Jesus as a baby. Grant loved his Catholic brethren, and even admired various aspects of the Roman church, but he had a tough time with the Catholic view of and emphasis on saints, especially in worship spaces like this. But he slid into one of the pews, even though Vespers would not begin for another half hour.
2. From Warrior Monk...
St. Bartholomew’s Church itself was a beautiful, historic stone building that resembled a mini-castle. Another building comfortably housed church offices, a large room for congregational meetings, dinners and events, classrooms and storage. And the large, six-bedroom parsonage was made of the same materials as the church. All of this sat on four acres on a lake in Eastport.
3. From Lionhearts...
Grant walked by the old brick buildings that populated the small university across the street from the church. When the founders built the Lutheran University of New York, they also erected St. Mark’s. The school buildings, church, president’s home and the parsonage all followed a brick gothic architectural style. At the end of the campus, Grant came to the St. Mark’s parsonage.
He paused on the sidewalk, and looked back at the church. Grant was a stickler when it came to church architecture, appreciating a wide array of styles, except for the churches built in recent decades that lacked any distinction, sometimes looking like office buildings. Grant not only liked the architecture of St. Mark’s, but also that this very much was a neighborhood church, surrounded by homes, the university, small apartment buildings and local stores. He then had a passing thought of appreciation that his own leaders and congregation at St. Mary’s had chosen a Tudor-style when their new church was built a few years ago.
4. From Warrior Monk...
Entering the nave and proceeding halfway up the center aisle, Grant bowed before turning his back to the altar and the massive Crucifix hanging on the wall behind it.
The inside of the new St. Mary’s jibed nicely with its Tudor exterior. Lining the walls was a dark wood paneling about four feet high. Rising from there up to the various points in the ceiling were off-white walls accented with wood beams. The windows and ends of each pew came to a similar pointed shape as the ceiling. Rather than stained glass, the windows featured scenes from the life of Jesus Christ etched into otherwise clear glass. Daylight was allowed to stream into the building as a result.
The largest etched window was behind the choir loft, showing Jesus as the teacher. At the other end, under the Crucifix, the altar rail closely mimicked the wood paneling and beams, while the altar was bathed in a white brighter than the walls...
He strode back into the narthex. A turn left would have taken him down a hall to four rooms—three used for Sunday school and various church meetings, and the other for storage. He instead went down the hall to the right, which led to the budding church library and conference room, a small copy room, his secretary’s office—though Mrs. Barbara Tunney more often acted like a nosy mother than a secretary—and his own office.
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