Kate McGrath

Professor Steidl

May 2^nd 2016

I discovered this church in the Belmont area of the Bronx while walking home from lunch one day.  I took a different path that usual due to construction on the sidewalks and fell upon this small church.  The bright red awning immediately caught my attention and I stopped to inspect the building.  Although the building wasn’t very large I was drawn to its perplexing demeanor.  Although small, its words spoke loudly. 

This picture represents the diversity within the catholic church in the United States..  The awning is an eye-catching bright red with bolded white letters.  The banner’s aesthetic represents the church’s confidence in their practicing and their desire to be heard.  If the church had been a simply black and white banner it would have blended in with the apartment building it is situated under and not have caught as many people’s eyes.  Although the establishment does not seem up-to-date and accommodating to large amounts of people, it’s banner speaks for its purpose.

People who likely originated from a Spanish-speaking country will find themselves at this church.  Because of their travels and new land, they are probably searching for a piece of their old country here in the United States, or more specifically Bronx, NY.  Whether they were born here or elsewhere, this denomination allows these people to not lose touch with the religion and practices they once followed.  Below what appears to be an apartment says: “Iglesia de Cristo” which translated from Spanish to mean “Church of Christ.”  Underneath the heading reads: “Columna y Baluarte de la Verdad”, “meaning the pilar and bastion of the truth”.  This congregation represents Latin American preservation of what they believe to be the truth and essence of their religion.  This church appears to promise the same core values that they follow, and abide by the ‘pillars’ of the Christian faith.  I also noticed that 1 Timothy 3:15 was cited on the awning.  1 Timothy 3:15 says:

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Although some of the members may be many miles from their home, they have their bearings through the Iglesia de Christo here in Bronx, New York.  This Church has the ability to anchor these worshipers in a foreign land.  “…thou mayest know how thou oughest to behave thyself in the house of God” This quote is the epitome of what this Church claims to represent.  It states that no matter where you live you must still abide by the rules of God.   You have a set of rules given to use by God, and the church will guide us to properly follow the core beliefs of this religion.  

            This establishment, in my mind, represents the diversity in the United States, especially within the religion realm.  People travel far and wide to come to the United States for better opportunities both financially and politically.  While people travel they are leaving their homes, loved ones, and a part of their culture.  The Iglesia de Christo is meant for these people as a both source of community and place of worship.  Although it is not in their native land, it has the ‘pillars and bastions’ of the religion they followed in their native lands.  It is meant to bring a piece of home, they are still within the “house of God” and are able to follow the “truth.”