Due to the success of the National Fund for Sacred Places, and the continued strong demand for grants supporting historic sacred sites, in January 2023 the Lilly Endowment Inc. renewed and expanded its financial support for the program so that by 2027, the National Fund will have awarded more than $40 million towards the preservation of community-serving historic houses of worship nationwide. To celebrate the renewed and expanded funding, and to further highlight the success of the program, here are five National Fund projects completed in 2022.
This article highlights two National Fund participants who completed capital projects in 2022: San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson, Arizona and Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. From the Sonoran Desert to the bustling streets of Baltimore, the two projects offer a glimpse into how the National Fund works with congregations across the United States to support the continued care and use of their historic properties as centers for community life.
For Chicano Movement activists in the 1960s and ’70s, the Church of the Epiphany in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood served as an important base. Over the decades, many Central American worshipers joined the longtime Mexican American members, and today the congregation’s leaders still advocate for social justice. The Rev. Tom Carey, a diocesan priest who has led the church for the past 12 years, stepped down in June; we spoke with him shortly beforehand.
Religious institutions have served both as a platform for the advancement of women’s rights and opportunities, and women have played critical roles in advancing religious traditions. The leadership and community building opportunities within these sacred sites have been critical to increasing female independence outside of the home and allowing women to develop institutions that strengthen their congregations and broader communities. The four historic houses of worship highlighted embody positive examples of how the histories of women and religion are inherently linked.
The vast quantity of postcards depicting historic houses of worship is best evidenced through the James R. Tanis Collection of Church Postcards. The collection of more than 20,000 postcards illuminates the range of religious architecture in the United States from monumental cathedrals to one-room meeting houses. Read more for a postcard tour highlighting the history and significance of select congregations in the National Fund for Sacred Places.
No one could blame any members of Christ Church Lutheran who thought Eliel Saarinen would decline their invitation to design their small church. But the internationally known architect said yes, possibly drawn by his background as the son of a Lutheran minister as well as the request of the pastor, the Rev. William Buege, for “an honest church.” See inside this historic church in this photo essay.
