From Staff Reports
The citizens of Raleigh County will be in for a special treat when the Raleigh County Historical Society presents the 2009 Holiday Houses of Worship Tour Saturday, Dec. 12.
The opening ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Jim Word Park in downtown Beckley and the tour will be from 2 to 5 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held across the street in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church.
A dozen churches will open their doors to welcome visitors on this free self-guided tour. They range from small intimate facilities to massive structures with over 100 rooms. Except for the scheduled events, visitors do not need to plan their arrival and departure times — just walk in.
Among the things you will see is a 91-year-old church displaying photographs of Beckley citizens from a bygone era and treating you to special music. You will see architecture rivaling anything in the state, such as Norman Gothic, Romanesque, Greek Revival, Byzantine and Contemporary. See if you can find the custom made stained glass window depicting a local clergy and his mule or the Sunday school rooms that were converted into apartments during the great depression.
There are textbook examples of a Spanish tile roof that would be right at home along the Mediterranean Coast and two-story Doric and Temple of Winds columns. One church has an open finished timber ceiling reminiscent of a medieval abbey. You will be treated to vocal selections and instrumental music performed by first class musicians.
Find out what the gold dome atop St. Nicholas Orthodox Church symbolizes and visit Temple Beth el and examine a shofar and view a Torah which is hand-scribed in Hebrew and one transcribed in English. Learn more about Judaism and how members of this congregation played an integral role in the history of Beckley.
Ask the tour guide at St. Stephens about the prayer shawl ministry. Did you ever wonder what is behind those little round windows on the fourth story of First Baptist Church or what is in that 75-foot high tower?
You do not want to miss the newer structures. In addition to their rich history, you will marvel at how the architects executed their “form follows function” concepts and the impressive facilities they have constructed for their youth and charity programs.
Be sure to save the special tour insert that will be in the Saturday, Dec. 5 edition of The Register-Herald. The insert will have complete details of the tour including the program for the opening ceremony at Jim Word Park, a brief description of each house of worship and a map showing the location.
The architectural features on the tour are:
- The 91-year old church is First Christian Church
- The Norman Gothic church is First United Methodist Church
- The Romanesque church is First Baptist Church
- The Greek Revival churches are Beckley Presbyterian and First Christian churches
- The Byzantine church is St. Nicholas Orthodox Church
- The Contemporary churches are Family Worship Center and Faith Baptist Church
- The clergy and his mule window is at St. Francis deSales Catholic Church
- The Sunday school rooms/apartments are at First United Methodist Church
- The Spanish tile roof is at First Baptist Church
- The Doric columns are at St. Stephens Episcopal Church
- The Temple of the Windows columns are at Beckley Presbyterian Church
- The open finished timber ceiling at First Baptist Church
