New life for an old church

The gallery opening that we attended Saturday was held in the basement of a former Lutheran church in the college hill section of Easton. It was one of the few churches in Easton that I had never been in. During the Vietnam war my family would attend services in various churches on Sunday nights to end the war. No, we were not hippies, we were blue collar folks who loved our country so much that we had to ask G-d's help to tell our President "enough was enough".

Visiting these various houses of worship allowed me to have a very global view of religion and people's faith. We went to services in Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, AME, Catholic and Episcopalian churches as well as the local synagogue and temple. We were members of the United Church of Christ. I learned at a very young age that there are many paths to G-d's truth.

I am no longer a very religious, though at one time I was considering pursuing the ministry but I think I was not not home when G-d called or the message on the answering machine was deleted before I had a chance to hear it.

I developed a love for houses of worship. I often drag Guy into churches on our various trips across the globe. I am always moved no matter how grand or simple and I always sit for a moment and soak it in. When available we always light a couple of candles for Guy's father and my Grammy Strohl.

Which brings me back to this new gallery. It is no longer an active church, the new owners have converted it into a gallery and a recording studio for video and sound. I was unclear about their intentions for what was the sanctuary but, it appeared they were going to be very respectful.

I spent some time studying the windows and sitting at various spots in the pews, I could feel the history. I could hear the voices of the choir, I could hear the new baby crying and the young mother trying to quiet him. I could almost see the ushers passing the collection plates and the old friends greeting each other warmly after the service. And, then I could sense the sadness when the families gathered for the last service before they moved on to a different space.

Having met the owners I am hopeful that this place that once was a very holy and important space for many people will still be one but on a different level and with a different use.