This article highlights two National Fund participants who completed capital projects in 2022: San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson, Arizona and Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. From the Sonoran Desert to the bustling streets of Baltimore, the two projects offer a glimpse into how the National Fund works with congregations across the United States to support the continued care and use of their historic properties as centers for community life.
The activity of stewarding sacred places has anchored New England communities for centuries. How are religious institutions innovating in their work and renewing their physical space to ensure relevance to communities in the 21st century? Watch Emily Kahn, the Program Coordinator of the National Fund for Sacred Places, speak about participating National Fund congregations as community assets at the Historic New England 2022 Summit.
The National Fund for Sacred Places is pleased to announce its 2022 grantees, totaling $2,165,000 in funds awarded. Sixteen historically significant congregations have been admitted into the prestigious program, which provides capital grants of up to $250,000 and hands-on technical assistance to congregations undertaking significant preservation projects.
For Chicano Movement activists in the 1960s and ’70s, the Church of the Epiphany in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood served as an important base. Over the decades, many Central American worshipers joined the longtime Mexican American members, and today the congregation’s leaders still advocate for social justice. The Rev. Tom Carey, a diocesan priest who has led the church for the past 12 years, stepped down in June; we spoke with him shortly beforehand.
Religious institutions have served both as a platform for the advancement of women’s rights and opportunities, and women have played critical roles in advancing religious traditions. The leadership and community building opportunities within these sacred sites have been critical to increasing female independence outside of the home and allowing women to develop institutions that strengthen their congregations and broader communities. The four historic houses of worship highlighted embody positive examples of how the histories of women and religion are inherently linked.
The vast quantity of postcards depicting historic houses of worship is best evidenced through the James R. Tanis Collection of Church Postcards. The collection of more than 20,000 postcards illuminates the range of religious architecture in the United States from monumental cathedrals to one-room meeting houses. Read more for a postcard tour highlighting the history and significance of select congregations in the National Fund for Sacred Places.
No one could blame any members of Christ Church Lutheran who thought Eliel Saarinen would decline their invitation to design their small church. But the internationally known architect said yes, possibly drawn by his background as the son of a Lutheran minister as well as the request of the pastor, the Rev. William Buege, for “an honest church.” See inside this historic church in this photo essay.
Fire poses one of the greatest risks to historic places. In the 1990s, a new solution was developed in Finland to mitigate the risk of fire, reduce subsequent water damage, and prevent major disruptions from installation: HI-FOG mist fire suppression systems. This innovative technology has protected historic places worldwide, including Holy Ascension of Our Lord Cathedral in the remote community of Unalaska on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Houses of worship may not be the first places that come to mind when thinking about institutions that uplifted lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, as many LGBTQ individuals across the nation and the world have faced discrimination as a result of the policies of organized religions. Although discrimination against this community has not been extinguished from religious institutions, an increasing number of religious groups in the United States have taken firm steps towards welcoming and advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ community.
There is a kind of perfection in the name “Urban Grace” for a church located in the concrete heart of a city. In Christian theology, the concept of grace has been the subject of debate, but the overarching idea is that of undeserved divine favor and love. More secular meanings include beauty, kindness, and, if used as a verb, the act of bringing honor and credit to a location.
