Pillars & Foundations

Church or Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem, West Bank, Israel It's been a long time coming for me to post some of the last photos from our trip to Israel, and our tour into the Palestinian West Bank this past May. I felt this particular post would be timely. I'm very thankful to have visited this site as part of a West Bank tour. My wife were very lucky to arrive when the line for the Grotto of the Nativity, where I believe there was a chance circumstance where it was closed and re-opened and we were in the right spot at the right time. Our guides told us that often there is not enough time to wait for those on busy bus tours. History: I want to point out some high level details about the site, and leave some connections to other resources, as there is far to much for me to cover here. Wikipedia notes that an original basilica was built between 330 and 333 AD, only to be destroyed in 529 during the Samaritan revolts. Much of the church is said to be unchange...

St. Andrew's and Saint George's West, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK This church is situated in the New Town portion of Edinburgh, prominently located on George St. The church is part of the Church of Scotland and runs an active and progressive congregation. Further details about the church can be found at their website here . History: For information on the history of St. Andrew's and Saint George's West, I primarily found details on the church website itself . It was built shortly after the construction of the New town in 1784, and a spire was later added 1787. The binary name of the congregation owes to past consolidation of a few churches (St. Lukes, St George's and St. Andrews), however it only bears the name of St. Andrew's and St. George's. The structure it currently is in was the original St. Andrew's congregation. I enjoy popping into churches that happen to accommodate visitors whenever I travel, which I suppose is not surprisi...

Old First Parish Burying Ground, Rockport, MA This post is a bit of a departure from my typical posts about churches or faith centers of communities, however these burying grounds are also deeply meaningful for the communities in which they reside, and are also very much pillars and foundations. This particular cemetery is incredibly picturesque just outside of the unique seaport of Rockport MA with its fishing shacks turned art galleries, its sleepy coves with hidden beaches, and its meandering streets saturated with history and atmosphere. I love this golden moss contrasting on the headstones and the yellowed grass of autumn. When I took these photos it was still warm enough that there were some people swimming at the beach across the street. I can't recommend Rockport enough to anyone visiting Massachusetts. This cemetery is a hidden gem, just outside the main business district, and anyone with the means and initiative should definitely walk around the busy litt...

North Church, UCC, Portsmouth, New Hampshire I stumbled into a visit to this gorgeous quintessential New England church on one of several visits to Portsmouth in the 2019 summer. The church had open doors, something that is unfortunately rare in the U.S., however because Portsmouth draws a considerable amount of foot traffic, perhaps it was feasible.  History:  This parish has a long history in the region and their website takes tome time to give a high level review. With a timeline stretching back to 1641, the current building was constructed in 1855. Of particular interest, George Washington was said to have worshiped with the Parish during visits to Portsmouth. An architectural firm of Towle and Foster , based out of Boston designed the building. John D. Towle specialized in churches but also designed a couple of notable homes, most of which are scattered across the New England region. Contributions of North Church:  When visiting churches I ...

Qubbat al-Sakhrah, Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem I was lucky to visit Dome of the Rock on a recent trip to Jerusalem. There are set times that tourists may visit the site each day, and you need to proceed through a security checkpoint run by the Jordan government. Non Muslims may not enter the actually buildings themselves, however the grounds are certainly a site to behold. Of note the dome is a Muslim "shrine," not a mosque. My photographs can't come close to capturing the vibrancy of the colors, or the occasional wafts of smell of incense and food coming from the surrounding dense old city. The grounds are large, an in spite of the substantial queue of people and demand to enter, it still has a feeling of serenity relative to the bustling surroundings outside of the walls. The Dome of the Rock was first built in 691-692 of the Common Era (CE) and was rebuilt following a collapse in 1022-1023. Further information on the site, buildings, and t...