Great commentary. First time I tried to visit we couldn't get in without crashing a wedding. The second time we attended a Sunday morning service there.
pNielsen, Thanks very much for the comments and the link. I'll be sure to read the related material. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for a Sunday service, which is a disservice to the space. It should be experienced in worship, not just as a tourist.
Hi Relieveddebtor,
thanks for showing this chapel to me it's beautiful, and I appreciated your thoughts on it.
I like your point about it's fragility, or it's strength despite the appearance of weakness - as relating to ourselves and our faith.
I think there is an interesting parallel between Thorncrown's openness to it's natural surroundings, and what you mentioned about your seminary's chapel, being open to city life and the people passing by. They are open, but to very different things.
And then you've got the insular mega-churches too - they all show ways that the differing ideas of 'church' can be solidified into architecture. Thorncrown speaks of a withdrawing (or expanding?) into nature, perhaps to see the glory of God amidst his creation. Your chapel suggests an openness to the people God wants to reach out to. The megachurch suggests a focus on the people already safe inside the church (or perhaps just on the celebrity in the centre).
Maybe there is a legitimate place for all three. But I think Thorncrown must be a wonderful place to draw near to God, while your seminary chapel perhaps best represents what the gospel is all about - as the cliche goes, church is about people, not a building.
Thanks for the comments. What's important to me is that the space reflects and appreciates the community it should minister too, and that it draws people into holiness and worship. If the architecture is able to reach the status of "prayer in stone" (or wood), all the better. But that's usually a generational task and very expensive. Ultimately, I think the payoff for taking the time to build great spaces will be there. More on that in a future post...
Thanks again!
Commenting by HaloScan
