former First Christian Church, Fort Smith

Built about 150 years ago, this Victorian Gothic gem is now the Darby Community Center. It's rented out for weddings.

Another picture taken by Brother Jim. I wish my pictures came out this good.

web site

University Church of Christ, Conway

I wonder what folks will have to say about this style of architecture in a hundred years. Will it still exist?

church web site

Bible Way Church, Pulaski County

This is the Bible Way Community Apostolic Faith Church.
Thirteen syllables. Wow.

First United Methodist, Helena

This photograph is eleven months old. I took it when I was working on the former Temple Beth El, which is a block away. I stopped at the church office to ask if they would entertain a bid to replace all that nasty opaque plastic in front of their stained glass windows. I was about a month too late, as they had just signed a contract with Soos Stained Glass to do just that.

I read on the church's Facebook page that the job was finished in November. I'm sorry I don't have an updated picture, but I imagine it now looks as though the church has once again opened its eyes.

On the one hand, it's a shame that so many congregations bought into the fevered pitches of Plexiglas salespeople in the 70s and 80s to cover up their windows with plastic. Churches only wanted to protect their windows and maybe realize some energy savings in the process. All too often what they ended up with was a covering that soon became yellow and opaque and was usually not properly ventilated either, so that condensation tended to form, drip, and rot sills.

On the other hand, it's good that so many churches these days are reversing the trend. Some are going back to no protective covering at all, but most opt to cover their windows with vented tempered glass. The windows can once more breathe and the stained glass can be seen again from the outside.

But even with the blind windows, this is a pretty church. I'm afraid, though, I know little of its history.

Mabelvale United Methodist, Pulaski County

Built in 1965.
Church founded in 1846.

church web site