Geyer Springs First Baptist, Little Rock

with carnival, October 28, 2011

without carnival, November 8, 2009

church web site

Liberty Hill Baptist, Little Rock

My brother and I restored this set of windows last month.

The purple Waterglass was introduced in the 1980's, so they're not that old. They were just installed poorly and were falling out of the frames.

We built the door panels to match the windows above about five years ago.

The church has a beautifully decorated vaulted ceiling.
I believe the sanctuary dates to 1965.

The church was formally the home for Asbury United Methodist Church, which moved west in 1982.

First Baptist, Little Rock

Tomorrow is Independence Day. I drove past First Baptist to take just such a shot as this, and what do you know? No flags. So I went into the files and found this one which was taken last November. Go figure.

church web site

Cathedral Park Apartments, Little Rock

The Little Rock church at 15th & Center was built in 1889. For its first thirty years it was home to the Winfield Methodist congregation. In 1919 it was purchased by the town's growing Greek Orthodox community and became the home to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church until 1983, at which time, like Winfield and many others, the congregation moved westward.

The building was then converted to apartments. The original slate roof was replaced with shingles in 1991.

W. 65th St. Church of Christ, Little Rock

church web site

St. Andrews Anglican, Little Rock

Isn't this better than acres of asphalt?

church web site

Oh, Happy New Year

Oak Park Baptist, Little Rock

Built in 1976.

Destroyed by tornado in 1982.
Rebuilt shortly thereafter.

Happy Thanksgiving.

church web site

St. Bartholomew's Catholic, Little Rock

The members of this Little Rock church will celebrate their church's centennial this Friday and Saturday.

The first chapel was a converted store and doctor's office at 8th and Gaines, and in the beginning the congregation was but one man, Pleasant Smith. Word spread among African-American Catholics and the parish grew quickly. St. Batholomew Elementary / High School was built at 16th and Marshall streets, and in 1931 the present church and its neighboring rectory was dedicated. (Today the old parochial school houses the Helping Hand food pantry.)

Read more about the history of St. Bartholomew's as well as their plans for the centennial celebration in this article in the current Arkansas Catholic.

St. Andrew's Catholic, Little Rock

I've been asked to post a picture of the oldest church in Little Rock. I believe that would be St. Andrews, at 7th and Louisiana. It's the oldest existing church structure, anyway, having been built in 1881.

The problem is, in order to get the bulk of the church in a photograph, you have to shoot it from half a block away. It's that big. The steeple starts a mile up and goes on for another mile after that.

So, I thought I'd take several shots and hope for the best.


St. Andrew's seems always to be in some phase of restoration. Lately, the stained glass windows have been getting a lot of attention. I'll try to get some interior pictures sometime in the near future.







The front doors show a carved relief sculpture of the twelve Apostles. When the afternoon sun hits them, they're a sight to behold.








Click on the picture for a close view of the fine slate roof on the east side.

church web site

Pulaski Heights UMC, Little Rock

rose window
church web site

Dempsey Film Group, Little Rock

Yesterday's post showed creative re-use by a church; today's features creative re-use of a church. Originally Second Presbyterian (currently in Pleasant Valley), the Dempsey Film Group moved in 17 years ago. Downstairs is for reception and offices, while production studios are upstairs. Dempsey put a lot of effort into balancing the restoration of the building with meeting the needs of a modern film production facility.

Even the sign is an example of creative re-use.

This is the central south facing set of stained glass windows. I'm pleased to say I helped in the restoration of some of these panels.

Update (July 2011) - Dempsey Film Group announced recently that it is to cease operations. The church will be sold.

Immanuel Outreach, Little Rock

Old neighborhood groceries can't compete with the chains, so they're turned into all manner of businesses and homes. But it's just as common to see them converted into churches. This one is in east Little Rock.

Plainview Baptist, Little Rock

Stagecoach Road, not far from I-430

Little Rock Compassion Center

Good Shepherd, storefront compassion...

..and a well secured,
wheel chair accessible,
two door toy office,
complete with wishing well steeple.
mission web site

Promiseland, Little Rock

Promiseland is for sale.

Carver Chapel

I didn't fool you, did I? No, it's not a church; it's a picnic pavilion outside of Carver Magnet Elementary in east Little Rock.

Maybe it's supposed to look like a schoolhouse, but it looks like a church to me.

Shepherdsfold Church, Little Rock

The peaked window on the left is about the only hint that this is a church.

Pine Grove Baptist, Little Rock

On Dixon Road, near Sweet Home.
The classic look of a southern church.

Sign outside reads:
Where everybody is somebody and Jesus Christ is Lord.
church web site

Cristo Vision, Little Rock

The sign reads:

Cristo-Vision Missionary Church
Full Gospel
Bilingual Services

This little church on Baseline seems hemmed in by wires and cars and fences and buildings. But it may be fixing to levitate.

St. Andrew United Methodist, Little Rock

Nice vertical lift from the south. A trinity triptich. See the cross above?
It's atop the steeple, seen here from the east.
I don't think I care for the eyes, though. They look a tad sinister.