Tuesday, March 11, 2014

First Presbyterian Church - Ocala



First Presbyterian Church is a venerable old Ocala institution, arriving on the downtown scene right after the beginning of time, and has been patronized over the years by many of the "pillars" of the community.

But longevity does not just happen.  A church must relate and be relevant.  And if some folks find things a bit boring, it's always a good idea to serve food.  (See 2nd photo).  I'm wondering if the cafe is open during the time the pastor sermonizes the congregants...hmm...

17 comments:

Kay said...

Sunday only? So it's a win-win! If the sermon isn't working perhaps they can make a few bucks on coffee and donuts.

RedPat said...

I love that elegant steeple!

hamilton said...

You probably have to go through the church service to get to the courtyard cafe? That's one way to get the people in!

William Kendall said...

That steeple surely does stand out nicely against the sky!

Randy said...

Nice effect. I like the first photograph.

Pat said...

Like the photo editing here. I guess I'd give the cafe a try. And like Hamilton says, you probably have to go through the church to get there.

cieldequimper said...

Nice with the light from inside!

I'll be dead before churches serve food here. Well, apart from the sacramental bread...

Anonymous said...

It's a very impressive building, and serving food is always a good idea!

Hilda said...

It looks like a very handsome church. A courtyard cafe - with or without the sermon - sounds lovely, too.

LOLfromPasa said...

That is a beautiful Spire, Lowell.

Saw this after reading the comment you left me. The second photo with your observations really did make me smile.

Sharon said...

I love the art work on these photos! It reminds me of St. Bartholomew's in New York City with it's restaurant called Inside Park at St. Bart's. I had a tasty lunch there once.

Judy said...

It looks like it was built to last. I've not seen a church with a cafe before.

Halcyon said...

DO they have a gym too? I know some of the mega churches in Jackson did.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I bet that meal tempts a lot of people. We ate in a church cafe once in some city we were touring..might have been Savannah. Not on a Sunday, that one was open every day. It was good to have a homecooked meal (volunteers made soup and stuff)...I think you paid what you could...we could pay more than we would have at some fast food place and were happy that we could.

Small City Scenes said...

Churches come and go but the food remains. There are several churches in Mount Vernon that have coffee shops. Maybe to keep the congregation awake. MB

magiceye said...

Love the 1st pic!!

stardust said...

The lofty tower is so beautiful, elegant and proud. I like your creativeness, Lowell.

Yoko

"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." — Henri Cartier-Bresson