This church is sometimes floodlit but most often not. It was the church I was brought up to go to and my Sundays were full of other ideas, not religion. Sometimes I was in such a dream during a service, that I was nudged by a sister to get to my feet as everyone else was hymn singing!
The floodlights were installed as a mark of respect for my father’s 40 years of service there in 1970 but nowadays there would be something else to keep them going.
This photo does look super on the black.
Three good things;
1. I’m an adult now and have been for some time so don’t have any compulsion to be loyal to this church but I do love its classical lines and was thrilled to see the floodlights while I was about during darkness!
2. Through 365, I found there was a very similar bird to our ‘ring eye’ in Hawaii who enjoys a very similar flower to ours called the rata and the pohutukawa. Totally different names to both over there!
3. Love the humour and wit that abounds in 365!
This looks wonderful on black Maggiemae ,It's amazing what we did as children during the service in church or chapel -I remember my dad keeping me quiet by rolling and making a mouse out of his white clean j=hankie !! and I would play with it during the sermon which was way above my head !! -- such happy childhood memories !
Church featured so much in our lives in our youth didn't it.........no shopping on Sunday's just a quiet fairly day with church in the morning. I used to like one the altar boys so had an ulterior motive....he was the paper boy too & used to whistle as he delivered our daily paper. When I was older I was in the choir & used to look down on him & swoon!! @beryl your memories sound more chaste than mine Beryl!!
Lovely stone all aglow here maggiemae! Hope the earthquake didn't frighten you too much ! As you haven't mentioned it you must have taken it in your stride!
@happypat The earthquake rattled me as it did the house, Pat but there was no damage or injuries elsewhere amazingly enough! Its not even in the news now!
Lovely, how it glows in the dark from the floodlights. This building must have some strong architectural features, as well as strong childhood memories. Many of us had trouble paying attention in services as children! ;)
Wow, that really is amazing on black just glowing in the midst of all that darkness! I am quite surprised at its strong neoclassical lines.... I would not have imagined that a church in NZ would have such strong ties to classical architecture, especially Greek temples! Nostalgia is a funny thing....there are certain places that evoke such strong memories in us all! My dad was on the board of our Orthodox church back in Turkey, and when I went back after so many years and the priest opened the doors of the chapel for us it was like I was hit by a wave of emotions that almost took me under!
@panthora I've still got photos of our childhood times in our church so that brings back so many memories too. About 4 family weddings held here. Now its hardly attended and has a shared minister. Oamaru has many buildings like this - the classical style!
Lovely lines and classic look, churches always kook so beautiful when lit at night. I can't remember feeling anything but bored when at church as a child.
Looks fantastic on black! All I can remember about church when I was young was the singing which I loved! I have always sung very loudly in church which is something I could not get away with anywhere else as my voice is not very good! Lol!
My church was much smaller, but the agony of endless services was tempered by my grandmother and her bottomless purse filled with gum and pens and paper to draw on
It's a pretty church and the lighting is very dramatic! I have good memories of church. We had a Sunday School so the children were not forced to endure the sermon or other things which would make us wiggle and squiggle. In the summer we were in the sanctuary for the first part of the service and there was a children's sermon (but I think the grown-ups got just as much out of it!) which was usually quite entertaining. I also sang in the choir as a child. That was always a big to-do! And we were usually praised for singing so nicely. One thing that always stood out in my mind was the day we recited Psalm 100 and then received our first Bible. Ooooooooo- take good care of it! Which I did. I still have it too! It's too bad we don't make church more understandable or engaging for children (well, I do know some churches who do) because I think we'd stick with it much longer if we did.
@olivetreeann Halfway through the service there was a time where all the children could leave and I used to bend my knees, crouch down and go out too, pretending I was a child! I still have the bible that I received too! Fine leather!
Nice shot; looks great in isolation, simply lit against a sea of nothingness. A bit like religion really ... a reminder that it's there but no compulsion.
This is a great shot. I love the way it standsout inthe dark. When we were young my mother gave us sweets in church, the only time we had them, and then taught us how to smooth outthe silver paper or to make tiny boats or hatswith the paper. We also picked flowers on the walk to church and smoothed them out and pressed theminour bible. My bible from childhood still has the marks of the pressed flowers but the flowers have long since disappeared and I can still make tiny boats/hats
@kelly2 You had the most wonderful mother! She saw how we, as children saw the church and made into something that you will remember the rest of your life!
Fav. for me. Wonderful night capture. Even though this is a church and my shot shows a restaurant, your shot and mine of today have a similar feel to them.
grand church and yes, so impressive on black. my mom was a church organist when i was a child, so early memories are of being in choir and sunday shcool. she did not work at the church where we lived and there was fierce competition between the two churches that both claimed to be the oldest in the state; when my mother was able to have a pipe organ installed in her's, it was a real feather in her cap since our's had an electronic one and the before that, our music program was well-known to be a step above. we had a hand bell choir, folk masses with guitars, brass quartet, quite a variety offered at services along with all the choirs. then she got that pipe organ. lots goes on behind the scenes at church. personally, i loved being part of the hand bell choir. one week, the youth minister got up to give the sermon but he had been sitting for so long that his leg was asleep so he feel over and broke his leg. service was short that day. and yes, we did all laugh.
Lovely stone all aglow here maggiemae! Hope the earthquake didn't frighten you too much ! As you haven't mentioned it you must have taken it in your stride!
Very nice picture, Maggiemae.