Sunday, August 24, 2008

Church of Wedding

This post will bring the wedding subject to a close for now. Here are scenes I enjoyed inside the church where my son's wedding took place last weekend:
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If you've been hanging around this blog much, you know that I tend to post photo scenes of church buildings or stained-glass windows on Sundays, IF I have such photos available. Sunlight or light from inside is so beautifully transformed as it filters through the colored glass designs!
This Lutheran church is of the ELCA synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Supposedly, it is more liberal than the Lutheran synod I belong to, the LCMS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In our small, rural Iowa community, there are four churches, all Lutheran, two ELCA, and two LCMS. The town and surrounding area was settled almost exclusively by German Lutherans. How the two different synods ended up being established right here is a mystery to me, for presumably the people were all originally of the same Lutheran faith. But, perhaps there were differing factions who came from various German provinces or states back in the 1800's when many were emigrating to the U.S.
There's even a traditional Crucifix in this ELCA church. The wooden carvings of the altar piece are distinct and beautiful, fashioned as several miniature steeples, somewhat similar to the altar design at the church I attend.
This whole church structure design, exterior and interior, is indeed similar to my LCMS church, just a few miles away. The walls of both churches are covered in that old-fashioned molded tin paneling, covered over with layers of paint, of course.
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Have a very blessed Sunday!
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7 comments:

Trish said...

Oh I absolutely love the photos and wish I could see the churches in person. What history and heritage that 'lives' in those walls.....

Unknown said...

I LOVE the pictures! There is something so calming and spiritual when sunlight comes thru the windows of a church.

Down on the Farm said...

I haven't been able to get on the internet much in a couple of weeks so have several blogs to catch up on. Glad I got to yours and saw and read the "stolen bride" entry. Much enjoyed and no, never heard of that custom. Raised in CA, married an IBM exec, moved all over including Davenport, IA and still had not heard of that. Much enjoy..........Connie

Laura ~Peach~ said...

beautiful so peaceful and did i mention beautiful!

Jeannelle said...

Hi, trish, my metabolic rate is stuck (cute name....it could be mine.....and welcome!), Connie, Laura!

Thank you all for stopping by. Yes, I just love stained-glass windows. Today, in the late afternoon sunlight, I went up to my own church and took some pictures to post eventually. God bless, everyone!

rhymeswithplague said...

Jeannelle, you simply MUST stop what you're doing and get yourself over to Ben Witherington's blog (there's a link in my post, "It's Sunday. Let's do something religious.") because he has some absolutely breath-taking photos of stained glass windows at the little-known Smith Museum in Chicago.

Jeannelle said...

rhymsie,

Thank you for the mention of the link.....I will check it out!

Yesterday, my daughter happened to be watching the Rick Steves travel show on PBS and I walked by the TV in time to see some gorgeous stained-glass windows in a cathedral in Rheims, France. A feast for the eyes.