Since the real estate market in New York City is decimating the natural habitat of churchgoers, stories about churches gone condo and or simply gone will proliferate. In today's New York Times, David Dunlap turns his gaze toward the Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church in Harlem, his piece "After 90 Years, a Harlem Church Vows to Endure Amid Relentless Change" chronicling the building's history and drawing familiar sentiments from its Senior Pastor, Dedrick L. Blue:
“The beauty of Harlem is being lost,”Dedrick L. Blue, the senior pastor of the church, said in an interview last week. “Pieces of its history are being destroyed by modern development and greed.
“The steeple represents certain things that must endure. Faith must endure. History must endure. In a city where people see churches only as relics, this steeple says, ‘No, this is an act of faith.’ And it is an act of faith to stay here."
Amid relentless change, why would the faithful want all things to be made new?
No comments:
Post a Comment