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Historians have furnished other evidence of Peter's sojourn in Antioch. According to the writings of Origen  and Eusebius in his Church History III, 36 Peter would have been the founder of the Church of Antioch  and "after having first founded the church at Antioch, went away to Rome preaching the Gospel, and he also, after [presiding over] the church in Antioch, presided over that of Rome until his death".
After presiding over the church in Antioch by a while, Peter would have been succeeded by Evodius ,  and after by Ignatius , who was a student of John the Apostle. Eusebius of Caesarea, in his " Historia Ecclesiastica I, This is the account of Clement, in the fifth book of Hypotyposes A.
The Clementine literature , a group of related works written in the fourth century but believed to contain materials from earlier centuries, relate information about Peter that may come from earlier traditions. One is that Peter had a group of 12 to 16 followers, whom the Clementine writings name.
Fred Lapham suggests the route recorded in the Clementine writings may have been taken from an earlier document mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis in his Panarion called "The Itinerary of Peter". According to Eusebius, his luck did not last long since God sent Peter to Rome and Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed. An apocryphal work, the Actus Vercellenses 7th century , a Latin text preserved in only one manuscript copy published widely in translation under the title Acts of Peter, sets Peter's confrontation with Simon Magus in Rome.
Peter might have visited Corinth and maybe would have existed a party of "Cephas". You have thus by such an admonition bound together the planting of Peter and of Paul at Rome and Corinth. For both of them planted and likewise taught us in our Corinth. And they taught together in like manner in Italy, and suffered martyrdom at the same time.
Irenaeus of Lyons wrote in the 2nd century that Peter and Paul had been the founders of the Church in Rome and had appointed Linus as succeeding bishop. Clement of Alexandria states that "Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome.
According to Jerome "Peter went to Rome in the second year of Claudius to overthrow Simon Magus, and held the sacerdotal chair there for twenty-five years until the last, that is the fourteenth, year of Nero. Lactantius , in his book called Of the Manner in Which the Persecutors Died , written around , noted that "And while Nero reigned, the Apostle Peter came to Rome, and, through the power of God committed unto him, wrought certain miracles, and, by turning many to the true religion, built up a faithful and stedfast temple unto the Lord.
This is often interpreted to imply that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome. However, it is also said that the institution of the papacy is not dependent on the idea that Peter was Bishop of Rome or even on his ever having been in Rome.
While the church in Rome was already flourishing when Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans about AD 57,  he greets some fifty people in Rome by name,  but not Peter whom he knew. Some church historians consider Peter and Paul to have been martyred under the reign of Nero,    around AD 65 such as after the Great Fire of Rome.
There is no obvious biblical evidence that Peter was ever in Rome, but he does mention that "The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son" 1 Peter 5: It is not certain whether this refers to the actual Babylon or to Rome, for which Babylon was a common nickname at the time, or to the Jewish diaspora in general, as a recent theory has proposed.
In the preceding verse 1 Peter 5: Clement of Rome' First Letter , a document that has been dated from the 90s to the s, is one of the earliest sources adduced in support of Peter's stay in Rome, but Zwierlein questions the text's authenticity and whether it has any knowledge about Peter's life beyond what is contained in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles.
Zwierlein has questioned the authenticity of this document and its traditional dating to c. Smaltz have suggested that the incident in Acts The Muratorian fragment , dated to the second century A. This "dies imperii" regnal day anniversary was an important one, exactly ten years after Nero ascended to the throne, and it was 'as usual' accompanied by much bloodshed.
Traditionally, Roman authorities sentenced him to death by crucifixion. In accordance with the apocryphal Acts of Peter , he was crucified head down. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia , Peter labored in Rome during the last portion of his life, and there his life was ended by martyrdom.
Through jealousy and envy the greatest and most just pillars of the Church were persecuted, and came even unto death. The death of Peter is attested to by Tertullian at the end of the 2nd century, in his Prescription Against Heretics , noting that Peter endured a passion like his Lord's: There Peter was girded by another, since he was bound to the cross". Peter inverts the Latin cross based on this refusal, and his claim of being unworthy to die the same way as his Saviour.
Peter of Alexandria , who was bishop of Alexandria and died around A. Jerome describes that "At his Nero's hands Peter received the crown of martyrdom being nailed to the cross with his head towards the ground and his feet raised on high, asserting that he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. According to the story, Peter, fleeing Rome to avoid execution meets the risen Jesus.
In the Latin translation, Peter asks Jesus, "Quo vadis? Peter then gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, where he is martyred. This story is commemorated in an Annibale Carracci painting. The Church of Quo Vadis , near the Catacombs of Saint Callistus , contains a stone in which Jesus' footprints from this event are supposedly preserved, though this was apparently an ex-voto from a pilgrim , and indeed a copy of the original, housed in the Basilica of St Sebastian.
The ancient historian Josephus describes how Roman soldiers would amuse themselves by crucifying criminals in different positions,  and it is likely that this would have been known to the author of the Acts of Peter.
The position attributed to Peter's crucifixion is thus plausible, either as having happened historically or as being an invention by the author of the Acts of Peter. Death, after crucifixion head down, is unlikely to be caused by suffocation , the usual "cause of death in ordinary crucifixion".
Clement of Rome identifies Peter and Paul as the outstanding heroes of the faith. Catholic tradition holds that Peter's inverted crucifixion occurred at the spot now occupied by the Clementine Chapel in the grottoes of Saint Peter's Basilica, with the burial in Saint Peter's tomb nearby. Caius in his Disputation Against Proclus A. For if you are willing to go to the Vatican or to the Ostian Way, you will find the trophies of those who founded this Church".
In the early 4th century, the Emperor Constantine I decided to honour Peter with a large basilica. The slope of the Vatican Hill had to be excavated, even though the church could much more easily have been built on level ground only slightly to the south. There were also moral and legal issues, such as demolishing a cemetery to make room for the building. The focal point of the Basilica, both in its original form and in its later complete reconstruction, is the altar located over what is said to be the point of Peter's burial.
According to a letter quoted by Bede , Pope Vitalian sent a cross containing filings said to be from Peter's chains to the queen of Oswy , Anglo-Saxon King of Northumbria in , as well as unspecified relics of the saint to the king. In , human bones were found buried underneath the altar of St.
The bones have been claimed by many to have been those of Peter. In the s, items from the excavations beneath St Peter's Basilica were re-examined, and the bones of a male person were identified. A forensic examination found them to be a male of about 61 years of age from the 1st century.
First Peter implies the author is in " Babylon ", which has been held to be a coded reference to Rome  1 Peter 5: Most Biblical scholars   believe that "Babylon" is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the time it persecuted Christians, before the Edict of Milan in In 4 Ezra ,   2 Baruch  and the Sibylline oracles ,  "Babylon" is a cryptic name for Rome.
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia , "The characteristics ascribed to this Babylon apply to Rome rather than to any other city of that age: At that time in history, the ancient city of Babylon was no longer of any importance. The Great City is a great desert. Another theory is that Babylon term refers to the Babylon in Egypt that was an important fortress city in Egypt, just north of today's Cairo and this, combined with the "greetings from Mark" 1 Peter 5: Clement of Alexandria in the sixth [book] of the Hypotyposeis cites the story, and the bishop of Hierapolis named Papias joins him in testifying that Peter mentions Mark in the first epistle, which they say he composed in Rome herself, and that he indicates this, calling the city more figuratively Babylon by these: If the reference is to Rome, it is the only biblical reference to Peter being there.
Many scholars regard both First and Second Peter as not having been authored by him, partly because other parts of the Acts of the Apostles seem to describe Peter as an illiterate fisherman.
According to Catholic belief, Simon Peter was distinguished by Jesus to hold the first place of honor and authority. Furthermore, they consider every Pope to be Peter's successor and the rightful superior of all other bishops. The Catholic Church's recognition of Peter as head of its church on Earth with Christ being its heavenly head is based on its interpretation of two passages from the canonical gospels of the New Testament ; as well as sacred tradition.
The first passage is John The Catholic Encyclopedia sees in this passage Jesus "charging [Peter] with the superintendency of all his sheep, without exception; and consequently of his whole flock, that is, of his own church". The second passage is Matthew I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.
Jesus could have said the following phrase in Aramaic , which could have spoken: You are a rock, and upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of Sheol not will subdue it.
Paul of Tarsus called Peter as "Cephas",  in the same way that Jesus did. To better understand what Christ meant, St. Though Peter be a rock, yet he is not a rock as Christ is. For Christ is the true unmoveable rock of himself, Peter is unmoveable by Christ the rock.
For Jesus doth communicate and impart his dignities, not voiding himself of them, but holding them to himself, bestoweth them also upon others. He is the light, and yet 2. You are the light: In reference to Peter's occupation before becoming an Apostle, the popes wear the Fisherman's Ring , which bears an image of the saint casting his nets from a fishing boat.
The keys used as a symbol of the pope's authority refer to the "keys of the kingdom of Heaven" promised to Peter. Peter is often depicted in both Western and Eastern Christian art holding a key or a set of keys. Though the authenticity of this account has been challenged, the general consensus is that these are Jesus' words. The Roman Martyrology assigns 29 June as the feast day of both Peter and Paul , without thereby declaring that to be the day of their deaths.
Augustine of Hippo says in his Sermon But those two were one. Although their martyrdom occurred on different days, they were one. This is also the feast of both Apostles in the calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the Roman Rite , the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter is celebrated on 22 February, and the anniversary of the dedication of the two papal basilicas of Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's outside the Walls is held on 18 November.
Furthermore, since Jesus presumably spoke to Peter in their native Aramaic language , he would have used kepha in both instances. He was instructed by Christ to strengthen his brethren, i. Early Catholic Latin and Greek writers such as St. John Chrysostom considered the "foundation rock" as applying to both Peter personally and his confession of faith or the faith of his confession symbolically, as well as seeing Christ's promise to apply more generally to his twelve apostles and the Church at large.
Protestant counter-claims to the Catholic interpretation are largely based on the difference between the Greek words translated "Rock" in the Matthean passage. In popular-level writings, rather than in academic studies, they claim that in classical Attic Greek petros masculine generally meant "pebble", while petra feminine meant "boulder" or "cliff", and accordingly, taking Peter's name to mean "pebble," they argue that the "rock" in question cannot have been Peter, but something else, either Jesus himself, or the faith in Jesus that Peter had just professed.
Although Matthew 16 is used as a primary proof-text for the Catholic doctrine of Papal supremacy, some Protestant scholars say that prior to the Reformation of the 16th century, Matthew 16 was very rarely used to support papal claims, despite it being well documented as being used in the 3rd century by Stephen of Rome against Cyprian of Carriage in a "passionate disagreement" about baptism and in the 4th century by Pope Damasus as a claim to primacy as a lesson of the Arian Controversy for stricter discipline and centralized control.
They understand Jesus' remark to have been his affirmation of Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Son of God. Despite this claim, many Fathers saw a connection between Matthew Upon you, he says, I will build my Church; and I will give to you the keys, not to the Church.
Other theologically conservative Christians, including Confessional Lutherans , also rebut comments made by Karl Keating and D. Carson who claim that there is no distinction between the words petros and petra in Koine Greek. The Lutheran theologians further note that:. We honor Peter and in fact some of our churches are named after him, but he was not the first pope, nor was he Roman Catholic.
If you read his first letter, you will see that he did not teach a Roman hierarchy, but that all Christians are royal priests. The same keys given to Peter in Matthew 16 are given to the whole church of believers in Matthew Oscar Cullmann , a Lutheran theologian and distinguished Church historian, disagrees with Luther and the Protestant reformers who held that by "rock" Christ did not mean Peter, but meant either himself or the faith of His followers.
He believes the meaning of the original Aramaic is very clear: Yet, Cullmann sharply rejects the Catholic claim that Peter began the papal succession.
Cullmann concludes that while Peter was the original head of the apostles, Peter was not the founder of any visible church succession. There are other Protestant scholars who also partially defend the historical Catholic position about "Rock. Moreover, even in Attic Greek, in which the regular meaning of petros was a smallish "stone," there are instances of its use to refer to larger rocks, as in Sophocles , Oedipus at Colonus v.
In Greek, of any period, the feminine noun petra could not be used as the given name of a male, which may explain the use of Petros as the Greek word with which to translate Aramaic Kepha. Yet, still other Protestant scholars believe that Jesus in fact did mean to single out Peter as the very rock which he will build upon, but that the passage does nothing to indicate a continued succession of Peter's implied position.
They assert that Matthew uses the demonstrative pronoun taute , which allegedly means "this very" or this same , when he refers to the rock on which Jesus' church will be built. He also uses the Greek word for "and", kai.
It is alleged that when a demonstrative pronoun is used with kai , the pronoun refers back to the preceding noun. The second rock Jesus refers to must then be the same rock as the first one; and if Peter is the first rock he must also be the second. Unlike Oscar Cullmann, Confessional Lutherans and many other Protestant apologists agree that it's meaningless to elaborate the meaning of Rock by looking at the Aramaic language, this is true that the Jews spoke mostly Aramaic at home, however in public they usually spoke Greek.
The few Aramaic words spoken by Jesus in public were unusual and that is why they are noted as such. Lutheran historians even report that the Catholic church itself didn't, at least unanimously, regard Peter as the Rock until the s:. This Creed binds Rome to explain the Scriptures only according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers. In the year when the Fathers gathered and the pope declared his infallibility, the cardinals were not in agreement on Matthew 16, They had five different interpretations.
Seventeen insisted, Peter is the rock. Sixteen held that Christ is the rock. Eight were emphatic that the whole apostolic college is the rock. Forty-four said, Peter's faith is the rock, The remainder looked upon the whole body of believers as the rock.
Another title used for Peter is Coryphaeus , which could be translated as "Choir-director", or lead singer. The New Testament is not seen by the Orthodox as supporting any extraordinary authority for Peter with regard to faith or morals.
The Orthodox also hold that Peter did not act as leader at the Council of Jerusalem , but as merely one of a number who spoke. The final decision regarding the non-necessity of circumcision and certain prohibitions was spelled out by James, the Brother of the Lord though Catholics hold James merely reiterated and fleshed out what Peter had said, regarding the latter's earlier divine revelation regarding the inclusion of Gentiles.
Peter but the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople sends a delegation each year to Rome to participate in the celebration of the feast of Sts. In the Ravenna Document of 13 October , the representatives of the Eastern Orthodox Church agreed that "Rome, as the Church that 'presides in love' according to the phrase of St.
Ignatius of Antioch To the Romans, Prologue , occupied the first place in the taxis , and that the bishop of Rome was therefore the protos among the patriarchs, if the Papacy unites with the Orthodox Church. They disagree, however, on the interpretation of the historical evidence from this era regarding the prerogatives of the bishop of Rome as protos , a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.
With regard to Jesus' words to Peter, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church", the Orthodox hold Christ is referring to the confession of faith, not the person of Peter as that upon which he will build the church.
There are also two feast days in the year which are dedicated to him:. They were fully convinced of the unique office of Peter in the primitive Christian community. Ephrem , Aphrahat and Maruthas who were supposed to have been the best exponents of the early Syriac tradition unequivocally acknowledge the office of Peter. When Christ gave his own name "Kepha" to Simon he was giving him participation in the person and office of Christ.
Christ who is the Kepha and shepherd made Simon the chief shepherd in his place and gave him the very name Kepha and said that on Kepha he would build the Church.
Aphrahat shared the common Syriac tradition. For him Kepha is in fact another name of Jesus, and Simon was given the right to share the name. The person who receives somebody else's name also obtains the rights of the person who bestows the name. Aphrahat makes the stone taken from Jordan a type of Peter. Again he wrote in his commentary on Deuteronomy that Moses brought forth water from "rock" Kepha for the people and Jesus sent Simon Kepha to carry his teachings among nations.
God accepted him and made him the foundation of the Church and called him Kepha. When he speaks about the transfiguration of Christ he calls him Simon Peter , the foundation of the Church.
Ephrem also shared the same view. In the Armenian version of De Virginitate records that Peter the rock shunned honour. Both Aphrahat and Ephrem represent the authentic tradition of the Syrian Church. The different orders of liturgies used for sanctification of Church buildings, marriage, ordination etcetera, reveal that the primacy of Peter is a part of living faith of the Church. While Mormons accept apostolic succession from Peter, they reject papal successors as illegitimate. In interpreting Matthew McConkie stated, "The things of God are known only by the power of his Spirit,"  and "that which the world calls Mormonism is based upon the rock of revelation.
Pure, perfect, personal revelation—this is the rock! Muslims consider Jesus a prophet of God. The Qur'an also speaks of Jesus's disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "helpers to the prophet of God ". Shia Muslims see a parallel in the figure of Peter to Ali at Muhammad 's time.
They look upon Ali as being the vicegerent , with Muhammad being the prophet ; likewise, they see Peter as the vicegerent , behind Jesus the prophet and Masih.
Peter's role as the first proper leader of the church is also seen by Shias to be a parallel to their belief in Ali as the first caliph after Muhammad. Whenever he decided to go fishing, he would tie up his weekly food into seven parcels, and every day he would eat one of them, and when he had reached the seventh, he would know that the Sabbath had arrived, and thereupon would observe it. Traditionally, two canonical epistles 1 and 2 Peter and several apocryphal works have been attributed to Peter.
The New Testament includes two letters epistles ascribed to Peter. Both demonstrate a high quality of cultured and urban Greek, at odds with the linguistic skill that would ordinarily be expected of an Aramaic -speaking fisherman, who would have learned Greek as a second or third language. The textual features of these two epistles are such that a majority of scholars doubt that they were written by the same hand. Wallace who maintains that Peter was the author writes that, for many scholars, "the issue of authorship is already settled, at least negatively: However, he later states, "Although a very strong case has been made against Petrine authorship of 2 Peter, we believe it is deficient Taken together, these external and internal arguments strongly suggest the traditional view, viz.
Of the two epistles, the first epistle is considered the earlier. A number of scholars have argued that the textual discrepancies with what would be expected of the biblical Peter are due to it having been written with the help of a secretary or as an amanuensis. The two Epistles attributed to St. Peter differ in style, character, and the construction of the words, which proves that according to the exigencies of the moment St. Peter made use of different interpreters Epistle — To Hedibia .
Some have seen a reference to the use of a secretary in the sentence: Ehrman in his book Forged states that "scholars now widely recognize that when the author indicates that he wrote the book 'through Silvanus', he is indicating not the name of his secretary, but the person who was carrying his letter to the recipients. The Roman historian Tacitus and the biographer Suetonius do both record that Nero persecuted Christians, and Tacitus dates this to immediately after the fire that burned Rome in Christian tradition, for example Eusebius of Caesarea History book 2, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Those scholars who believe that the epistle dates from the time of Domitian argue that Nero's persecution of Christians was confined to the city of Rome itself, and did not extend to the Asian provinces mentioned in 1 Pet 1: The Second Epistle of Peter , on the other hand, appears to have been copied, in part, from the Epistle of Jude , and some modern scholars date its composition as late as c.
Some scholars argue the opposite, that the Epistle of Jude copied Second Peter, while others contend an early date for Jude and thus observe that an early date is not incompatible with the text. Second Peter may be earlier than , there are a few possible references to it that date back to the 1st century or early 2nd century, e. AD 96, and the later church historian Eusebius wrote that Origen had made reference to the epistle before Jerome says that Peter "wrote two epistles which are called Catholic, the second of which, on account of its difference from the first in style, is considered by many not to be by him".
De Viris Illustribus 1  But he himself received the epistle, and explained the difference in style and character and structure of words by the assumption that Peter used different interpreters in the composition of the two epistles;  and from his time onward the epistle was generally regarded as a part of the New Testament. Even in early times there was controversy over its authorship, and Second Peter was often not included in the biblical canon ; it was only in the 4th century that it gained a firm foothold in the New Testament, in a series of synods.
In the east the Syriac Orthodox Church still did not admit it into the canon until the 6th century. Traditionally, the Gospel of Mark was said to have been written by a person named John Mark , and that this person was an assistant to Peter, hence its content was traditionally seen as the closest to Peter's viewpoint. Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ.
For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a normal or chronological narrative of the Lord's sayings.
Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictional into the statements . Clement of Alexandria in the fragments of his work Hypotyposes A. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark , who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out.
And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it. After their Peter and Paul's passing, Mark also, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, transmitted to us in writing the things preached by Peter.
Based on these quotes, and on the Christian tradition, the information in Mark's gospel about Peter would be based on eyewitness material. There are also a number of other apocryphal writings, that have been either attributed to or written about Peter. Two sayings are attributed to Peter in the gnostic Gospel of Thomas. In the first, Peter compares Jesus to a "just messenger. He says to the other disciples, "Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us?
Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us? In the Fayyum Fragment , which dates to the end of the 3rd century, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times before a cock crows on the following morning. The account is similar to that of the canonical gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark.
It is unclear whether the fragment is an abridged version of the accounts in the synoptic gospels , or a source text on which they were based, perhaps the apocryphal Gospel of Peter.
The fragmentary Gospel of Peter contains an account of the death of Jesus differing significantly from the canonical gospels. It contains little information about Peter himself, except that after the discovery of the empty tomb , "I, Simon Peter, and Andrew my brother, took our fishing nets and went to the sea. The earliest portrait of Peter dates back to the 4th century and was located in He thus contrasts with Paul the Apostle who is bald except at the sides, with a longer beard and often black hair, and thinner in the face.
One exception to this is in Anglo-Saxon art , where he typically lacks a beard. By the 15th century Peter is more likely to be bald on the top of his head in the Western church, but he continues to have a good head of hair in Orthodox icons. The depiction of Saint Peter as literally the keeper of the gates of heaven, popular with modern cartoonists, is not found in traditional religious art, but Peter usually heads groups of saints flanking God in heaven, on the right hand side viewer's left of God.
Narrative images of Peter include several scenes from the Life of Christ where he is mentioned in the gospels, and he is often identifiable in scenes where his presence is not specifically mentioned.
Usually he stands nearest to Christ. In particular, depictions of the Arrest of Christ usually include Peter cutting off the ear of one of the soldiers. Scenes without Jesus include his distinctive martyrdom, his rescue from prison, and sometimes his trial.
In the Counter-Reformation scenes of Peter hearing the cock crow for the third time became popular, as a representation of repentance and hence the Catholic sacrament of Confession or Repentance.
Many Protestant scholars accept the traditional story of Peter's martyrdom in Rome. Some Protestants, however, have rejected Peter's martyrdom as a later invention, arguing that evidence of Peter exists only in biblical accounts. It has also been suggested that there was a serious division between Peter's Jewish Christian party and Paul's Hellenizing party, seen in e.
Another revisionist view was developed by supporters of the Christ myth theory , which holds that the figure of Peter is largely a development from some mythological doorkeeper figures. According to Arthur Drews and G.
Wells , if there was a historical Peter, then all that is known about him is the brief mentions in Galatians. The Release of St. Peter by Bernardo Strozzi , The Miraculous Draught of Fishes , by Raphael , Fresco by Pietro Perugino in the Sistine Chapel. Dear peterpONA, many thanks for your kind and nice feedback.
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Services and practical information Paying Online check-in. German English French Russian. Leisure and activities Fitness centre. Catering Breakfast included in the price 1 restaurant s 1 bar s Room service. Business services 5 meeting room s Conventions hotel Self service business centre. Hotel location See on a map. Our rooms Warm, welcoming and modern, with a comfortable bed and a practical bathroom, our rooms offer everything you need for an enjoyable stay.
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God has a beautiful way of teaching us. All it usually takes is for you to listen a little longer and probably look for lessons where you do not expect to find any. I happened to chance upon a certain scripture that got my mind reeling to a direction I did not see coming.
The Bible says in Romans 8:31-39
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake, we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
While I read this, a number of things crossed my mind. The question is; when you see people while you go about with your daily life, have you asked yourself just how you deal with them? Have you perhaps asked yourself how you make them feel? Now, you are going to bear with me because I am going to address this on a personal level. I am not going to look at how “they” treat you or make you feel. This is because I am looking at this scripture through the very eyes of God and boy!
You see, the Bible has told us that no angels, demons, fears for today, worries for tomorrow etc can separate us from the love of God. And I am thinking, okay!
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
God intended to make us into His very own image. What a beautiful honor! That practically means we are just like Him in each and every way. We think, talk, act just as He does. And because we are like Him, people around us can easily tell when we are being like him and when we are being different from him. I have noticed that every little time I spend with God in communion, he makes me feel a certain way. Usually, my heart will want to skip like a gazelle in a field full of grass. He makes me feel like a fat kid that has just been served cake. He makes me want to dance a certain way. All because He has made it clear to me that I do not have to behave or act a certain way with Him. As far as He is concerned, I am his baby girl and He is my daddy. We are best friends and we talk just about anything.
So while I was thinking about this, God asked me a question. “Do other people feel the same way with you, like you feel while with me?” While I did not pay attention to it at first, I found myself deep in thought later. I was at a place in my life where I felt like people have to behave a certain way with me. They had to treat, talk and address me address me in the way that I wanted. If they did not do so, I would make them feel like they could not be in my circles! And because of that, I ended up missing out on having fellowship with them and probably winning souls to the Lord. The devil is a liar!
Child of God, if God is not having you try so hard to keep your relationship with Him, why do you make others feel like they must be a certain way to be in your circles? I have seen people who assume that because so and so drinks beer, goes to a dance club, works at a certain place they cannot be seen relating with them They think they cannot relate with people who come from a certain walk of life. In other words, they are too good for life. But the Bible says in Luke 9:7-7 5
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
It is a sad truth that we have Christians who think that just because I advised so and so to stop doing something and they are still doing it then I am done with them. This is the exact way the devil wants us to be with people. We push them away. Pushing people away takes many forms. It might be verbal or physical or aggressive, or, just as destructively, shutting them out emotionally.
What happened to believing in people? The exact way you want God to be patient with you as you go about life is the same way He expects you to extend grace to others. So what if you told her not to take a certain decision and she did? If you walk away from her what does it benefit you or the kingdom of God? Child of God, you do not meet people for naught. Every person you meet has a reason as to why they have crossed your path. They may be dirty, talkative, clingy and all that but the reason God has allowed them your way is simply that he is confident you can do something in their lives. If you meet someone and notice that they have a flaw, it is most likely because God wants you to love them out of it and not become a Judge Judy.
You see, love never fails. So, if you employ love in everything you do, you will not fail. In other words, you will always win. It’s the power of Love. Coolest thing about love winning is that it usually wins for both sides. Glory to God! Jesus commanded us to love one another. But he takes it one step further than just telling us to love one another. He says this:
My command is this: love each other AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for his friends. – John 15:12-13
Jesus says to love like He loved. Now, while that certainly clears things up for us, it also makes things difficult for us. Jesus’ love was serious business. His love was the lay-down-your-life kind of love. Jesus really loved people. He didn’t pretend to love people to get brownie points or to elevate Himself. He simply loved people. So many times throughout the gospels we see Jesus being moved with compassion like we shall see in the case of Lazarus.
The Bible says in Luke 9:8-10
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
You do not have to play the Tit-For-Tat game. Jesus chose to love Lazarus when nobody else could. He chose to go and sit in his corruption infested house. And at the end of the day, he won Lazarus to the kingdom. Child of God, your life is not about you. You have been put on the earth to live for the people you were called for. You were not called for your comfort man of God. You were not called for your comfort woman of God. That very person that you cannot stand is the very person that needs you most. They may proud and haughty but the mere fact that it riles you up should be enough reason to give you the assurance that God has given you the grace to see them into the kingdom.
In the Bible, Jesus called the Pharisees whitewashed grave tombs, yet he spoke gently to the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was presently living in sin. Jesus turned over the money-changers tables in the temple and used a whip of cords to drive them out, yet he forgave the thief on the cross and ate dinner with a crooked tax collector. Jesus called the religious leaders children of the devil, but received the little children and said, “of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And in the book of Revelation, in the letters written to the churches there, He calls some wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, but then gently urges them to answer the door of their heart, of which He has been knocking. Our God may be ‘gentle and lowly in heart,’ but He is also a ‘consuming fire.’ Those who have hardened their hearts should fear for His wrath is great, but those who are broken before Him should be reassured – He will not leave them, nor forsake them.
That means that as a child of God, you are not called to make people feel like they must first do something to be accepted into your life. If it is you that always pays the bill, calls, texts, goes the extra mile, as long as you are able to do so just do it. While you do so, God will deal with that person. If we want to love others or receive love at all, we must open up ourselves to being okay with getting hurt. This is where I got it wrong for so long. I shut people out in response to hurt I had experienced for so long. But, God created us to love lavishly in order to better know him. Anything else is less than what he has in store for you.
We are called to love people regardless of their flaws. We are called to believe in them. We are called into friendships, and into relationships, because every single person can teach us about the character of God, regardless of their flaws. And, consequently, when we get hurt, our relationships remind us there is only one perfect love, and we are called to seek after him above all other loves. See, God’s love will never fail us- unlike our friends, family, or spouses. God’s love is perfect. This is why the Bible says that “perfect love casts out all fear.” No other love can do this. But, when we are in relationship with God, knowing that perfect love personally, then we can love others fearlessly.
We can love others because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19. We cannot fully love ourselves or others if we do not first recognize how much God loves us. Literally to death and that’s a big deal. You’re deeply loved. Walk in that truth. Be fearless in your love of people. Pursue people wholeheartedly. Reflect the love of God that is fearless and bold, and find your identity in that perfect love. Not in anyone else’s. I can assure you, it’s not as good and that kind of love is only temporary.
When we walk in the spirit, the love of God is there for us to walk in, as well. When we walk in it we will always win. We will win for ourselves. We will win for others. We will win for Jesus.
If you are perhaps in the very category of those that feel they have been pushed away by loved ones, allow me to say this to you;
I don’t care who you are or what mistakes you have made in life. You are worth so much more than the things you have done. You are highly prized and loved. You are an amazing person. You are beautiful. You are handsome. You are worth love. Do not allow let the ugliness of the words that have been spoken to or about you darken your heart or conquer your self-esteem. I love you and I believe in You. You are worthy of being treated kindly.


St. Joseph's International Catholic College’s History - A Bird’s Eye View
In February 1917, Sr. Carthage started the first St Joseph’s School with fifteen pupils, in a room of the OLSH Convent then situated behind Port Moresby Cathedral. At this time, there was no opportunity for any form of Catholic schooling for Catholic children of the expatriates in Port Moresby. Around the same time, Sr. Paschal began a Catholic school at Ela Beach, in Granny Taurino’s house, for PNG and mixed-race children.
St. Joseph’s School soon overflowed, first into part of the new church and later into a house next to the convent, until the completion of the new school in 1926. This new school is now the Presbytery of the Cathedral. The school closed in 1941 because of the war but it was reopened in 1946.
In the late fifties it was decided to move St. Joseph’s School to Boroko. The population had grown especially around Boroko. At this time the pastoral care was prominent for these Catholic children. The old school was too small and its facilities inadequate.
While the School was being built in the early sixties, St. Joseph’s church was established at Boroko and the church hall was used for the first classes. By the mid-sixties, the school was well established. For the next twenty years, buildings and facilities continued to be added and improved.
From the inception of the school in 1917 until December 1985, the OLSH Sisters provided leadership in the school at the request of the Archbishops in order to meet the pastoral needs of the diocese.
After the independence, with the restructuring of the Education System in Papua New Guinea, St. Joseph’s School was changed to ‘St. Joseph’s International Primary School’ in 1976 and was registered as a company in order for it to be able to obtain the finance necessary for the running of the school.
From 1986 until 1994, St. Joseph’s International primary School was administered by the principals. In 1995. The RVM Sisters took on the administration of St. Joseph’s. In January 1998 a lay principal was again appointed by Archbishop Brian Barnes.
Photo of Staffs and Students
The following people have been influential on the history of the school: Sr. Rosa Maher; Sr. Cajetan; Sr. Margaret Harrington; Sr. Flavian Boland; Sr. Aileen Cracknell; Sr. Margaret Mary Daniher; Sr. Theresa Chue; Sr. Antonia O’Toole; Sr. Joseph Murray; Sr. Marie Louise Booth and Sr. Josette Lee (OLSH); Mrs. Anne Copsy; Mrs. Helen McBride; Mrs. Yolanda Eyrich; Mrs. Hermina Agabe; Mrs. Rose Amankwah and Mrs. Peaclyn Rajeswiren; McEnroe; Fr. Taylor; Fr. Eather; Fr. Cuneo; Fr. Scrivener; Fr. Moore; Fr. Roseser; Fr. Linden; Fr. Meaney; and Fr. Guy (MSC).
On the 8th of September 2008, St. Joseph’s International Primary School became a College. The College also introduced a new type of management for effective leadership within the school’s operations and management.
Although bearing very similar name St. Joseph’s International Catholic College is not the parish school of St. Joseph’s Church. St. Joseph’s is the school of the Archdiocese- the school is accountable to the Archdiocese.


The Ikarian Centre is offering Greek language courses especially designed so that the students can experience the Orthodox Easter. The school offers courses for both, Orthodox and Catholic Easter. The courses last for two weeks . Students of all levels are welcome to participate.
Ikaria is a small island, situated in the Eastern Aegean Sea where rural traditions are very much alive. Easter, a springtime celebration is celebrated by the local communities with great festive spirit. Preparation for Easter Sunday starts in different houses where various sweets are made and boiled eggs are painted red. During the Holy Week, the atmosphere is somewhat solemn, as most locals fast and attend the various religious services held in churches all over the island.
Generally, there is a great emotional build-up on Easter Saturday when the celebrations start in the evening. After the religious ceremony and local fireworks display, people return to their homes where families and friends eat and drink together. On both Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday in the village Karavostamo one can witness the "burning of Afano", a custom that derives from Byzantine times.
Students will learn about the Easter traditions while participating in them. Activities that are usually arranged within the framework of the courses and are mentioned in the Centre's main programme, like walking in the mountains, Greek cooking lessons and traditional dance lessons will also be organised. As always within the course framework, students will have the opportunity to meet with and talk to local residents.


When you wake up in the morning, what are you looking for? Maybe your glasses, or the light switch? Each day before my feet hit the floor, I am looking for what God wants me to do that day. Its so easy to just want to stay in bed and sleep the day away, but that is not what we are called to do!
We are all called to go out and to be his hands and feet! So I challenge you, for a month the first thing when you wake up before your feet hit the floor. Ask God what you can do for him today!


I wanted to wait a while before making this thread, and as I have had more experience with the game I would like to make a few concerns of mine known about the game. Before I get into it, I would like to say firstly that a game which has you play as a Scandinavian Viking should contain hostility toward the Christians, as that is historically accurate. However, this game unfortunately goes above and beyond a moderate stance on the historicity and greatly adopts and anti-Christian stance in itself. Many of the crosses are actually upside-down. This can be seen by adjusting the in-game camera to the height of the crosses. Some are perfectly fine, others are not. Monks often speak sarcastically in Latin, of which one can tell that it doesn't have to do with praising God. For instance, one of the things that the monks say is that the apostles were deceived. I do not know Latin, and so I could only translate a few words at a time, however it becomes obvious that they are not saying good things.Some of the monks have "666" inscribed on the back of their robes. This can be seen using the in-game camera.The monks have an improper, ugly looking tonsure which no monk would have had in the medieval era. In Buckinghamshire specifically, a monk is often seen next to the church making out with a woman, an action that never would have been public, and never tolerated in public. Monks have a sacred duty to God, and with that duty is the seal of celibacy. If a monk were to break that oath by having relations or having a girlfriend, that would be between the monk and his God. There is no reason to tout this image of obscenity as the norm in the game when that is a grave misrepresentation of religious. There isn't a positive portrayal of Christians to be found within the game, or at least if there is, it's minuscule. The altars in the game are unnecessarily messy and often have items on them that do not belong. The comment made by one of the Viking raiders during the monastery raids "Kill Christ and Burn his house down!" is entirely unnecessary. Hostility of the Vikings against the Christians is to be expected, however this goes a step too far.
There are certain elements to the game which are designed to mock Christianity which do not respect their position at this time in history such as:
With sincerity I ask that in future installments, care be taken to diligently implement respectful content with regards to all sides of the story. I do not ask that raids of churches not happen. I do not ask that the Christian side by upheld as the only good side. I only ask that the Christian side not be demonized in the future.
A final suggestion: As a side-note, I think it would have been great to create a Christian story-line as well as the Viking story-line fighting against the Order of the Ancients and each-other, while giving a balanced view of each. There could be righteous Christians who are slaughtered by the Vikings, and good Vikings who are slaughtered by the Christians and so forth, instead of a one-sided story.


- This event has passed.
Care for Creation: Health
January 25, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pmFree
The St. Francis Justice & Peace commission is hosting a four-part speaker series on Care for Creation via Zoom, discussing climate change and related ecological issues from a Christian perspective and sharing what we can do as individuals and a community to improve our relationship with the Earth. This month’s focus is health, featuring Dr. Lisa Del Buono, a retired diagnostic pathologist who works with Citizen’s Climate Lobby. The next topics are water, food & agriculture, and sustainable lifestyles. Email Blase if you’d like to register.


Do you ever feel like you are constantly struggling to hold on to your inner peace? Does it seem like the world is just spinning out of control most of the time. If you watch the news or commercials or scroll social media, the world is anything but peaceful. How can we find our own inner peace when the world is never peaceful. On top of that it seems like we have to keep striving and struggling and do more to “live our best life.” I seemed to always feel frustrated.
I have lived most of my life constantly struggling with the same inner frustrations that left me feeling anything but peaceful. These frustrations had me almost constantly questioning my faith.
I had learned about my personality through Myers Brigg in college, and it did make me feel like the authors who wrote the book about it understood me. But it didn’t help relieve those frustrations. Then I learned about my personality through the DISC system and then my spiritual gifts. And while this started helping me understand how God created me, it still didn’t help me understand WHY I was struggling with these same inner frustrations. The DISC and Myers Brigg showed me my behavior patterns and that there were other people like me, but that was it. It didn’t help me understand WHY. And everything modern culture and yes even Church told me to do, go to church more, read the bible more, pray more, volunteer more, didn’t help. It just led me to burnout.
These things along with the ever increasing noise and chaos of the world still just left me frustrated and eventually burned out. Where was that peace that passes all understanding Jesus talked about?
Then I started learning more about my personality through the Enneagram personality system. It helped me understand WHY I was continually frustrated by the same things. It didn’t just tell me “what” my personality looked like and the behavior patterns, it helped me understand the core fears and desires that drove my personality. Or rather allowed my ego to be in the driver’s seat. It also showed me what it looked like for me to be spiritually healthy.
It finally gave me hope and a vision for how God truly created me to be. Not how my ego wanted me to be.
A four year deep dive into learning about the Enneagram led me to a deeper understanding of not only why I still struggled with those internal frustrations, but the Holy Spirit also used this to show me how to let go of those inner struggles and find that peace that passes all understanding. God led me to learn more about spiritual practices that have led me to a place of peace and finding my purpose so I can live out of my highest potential instead of place of lack and fear.
It goes against culture. It means slowing down and doing what I call the slow & holy work. And it is so worth it.
This long journey has led me to where I am today. Launching my own Enneagram and life coaching program.
If you are in a place where you wonder why you can’t seem to get past the same frustrations or feel like you are constantly struggling to find your inner peace, I would love to help you. I am offering a free consultation call to see if coaching would be right for you. In this 30-45 free call we’ll talk about why your unique personality is your super power and how understanding your personality through the lens of WHY you do what you do can help you live each day not only in your purpose but with peace. If you’re ready to invest in yourself and live at your highest potential, I have 10 spots remaining for clients. During this free consult we can discuss the specifics of what that looks like for you and see if coaching is a good would be a good fit for you. Click here to schedule your free consultation call. If you don’t see a time that works for you, please comment below or email me and we will make it happen.


The Who said it best in their hit song Won’t Get Fooled Again, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”.
To recap the events of earlier this year, the Vatican had a big problem. In a nutshell, their Pope, “Benedict” (aka Joseph Ratzinger) had a series of problems, errors, gaffes and skeletons in his closet that he couldn’t escape. Ratzinger was a PR disaster, becoming the most hated pope in some time, and in a surprise announcement, he made the rare move of stepping down, instead of dying in office like most of the Popes before him. The speculation still swirls around why such a move was made, but as time passes it becomes clear it was not for any kind of health crisis. A new Pope – Francis – was appointed, and since then he’s become a bit of a “rock star” compared to Benedict.
Okay, so the new Pope isn’t EXACTLY the same as the Pope Emeritus, this one’s much more entertaining. If Benedict was “Pope Palpatine”, this one is “Pope Goofy”. Just days into the new job, Frances got to work making friends with the world again, making charismatic appearances and delivering what I call “wait, …what?!?” statements, after which the Vatican had to come in and do damage control, as they carefully explained what the Pope REALLY meant to say.
The first was that atheists can go to heaven, too. Well, that’s nice, but along with the god thing, atheists don’t typically believe in heaven, either. If atheists really wanted to go to heaven, they probably wouldn’t be atheists. It was a silly thing to say. The Vatican swooped in behind him and carefully explained that what he really MEANT to say. The church doesn’t want people reminded that they are not a necessary component to your eternal salvation.
After the favourable press that he received after that first statement, he said that atheists can be good people too. Another silly thing to say. Anyone with any kind of experience in the world knows this, and furthermore, they know the converse, that being Catholic is no guarantee that you’re a good person, either. Sadly, though, this announcement was indeed a revelation for some Christians. Atheists around the world, however, were relatively indifferent to his endorsement.
Later, he expressed in a rather long and allegedly poorly translated interview that evangelism was rather ineffective. This, of course, cast a disparaging light on the work of missionaries and priests. Again, the Church came running in to encourage people to continue proselytizing and evangelizing to the world.
The things the Pope has been saying lately are from so far out in left field that hoax articles are readily picked up as factual, for example, the announcement that “all religions are true” was spread far and wide with people believing it to be true.
Pope Francis in his first year has ordered the Vatican’s bank to be compliant with European standards of transparency. This is not laudable, as it should have been done a long time ago, and the order is only to come up to the standards by which everybody else abides. The order comes after Italy froze millions of dollars of the church’s assets in an investigation into the way the church’s bank does business after decades of laundering scandals, and more prosecutions were looming on the horizon.
He’s not living in the posh apartments usually reserved for the sitting Pope in the Apostolic Palace, but rather in a suite in the Vatican guest house. That’s nice, but what does it actually change? He still has the same staff attending to him. The Vatican still exists. It’s still sitting there, unchanged in all its opulent splendour. I’ve been a fan of the idea of “sell the Vatican, feed the world” before Sarah Silverman made an especially poignant video out of it in 2009. The Vatican’s wealth is quite literally inestimable, but financial experts agree that it’s worth in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars. While Pope Francis hopes to lead by example, forgoing some of the luxuries of being top dog, his cardinals and bishops are not following his lead. To paraphrase Bill Maher, I wonder what Jesus would think of the wild extravagance of the Vatican’s Palace and assorted outbuildings.
Pope Francis is still maintaining the church’s hardline stance discriminating against women and homosexuals. In September, he excommunicated an Australian priest who supported women’s ordination in the church, and gay marriage rights. On November 27, he issued a statement saying that the church’s position on abortion cannot ever be changed. And just December 30, he blessed a mass in Spain dedicated to reforming (read: repealing) a 2010 law that made abortions legal.
The November 27 statement solidified the Catholic Church’s stance on just about everything and changed absolutely nothing in the church’s positions and doctrines. Pope Francis has the power to really be a progressive force and change any of these things, and yet he does not. I don’t find that to be worthy of respect.
The good news is that while the Pope does encourage his followers to give up THEIR riches and give to the poor, and being heavily critical of capitalism (calling it an economy of exclusion and inequality, a tyranny that idolizes money), this message is proving to be very unpopular with many wealthy Catholics who liked Ratzinger’s hard-right stance, and they are withdrawing their support from the church, and some Catholics are crying that Pope Francis is singlehandedly destroying Catholicism. The strange thing is, Pope Francis’s opinion of capitalism is no different from that of former Pope Ratzinger.
So yes, as Roger Daltrey sang, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”. While the new Pope might have a more photogenic smile than the old Pope, and his brain farts are a little more entertaining than Benedict’s were, I’ll wait until I see some meaningful change before I applaud him as a progressive force.


Christians for National Liberation hails the Iglesia Filipina Independiente
We, the Christians for National Liberation – Metro Manila (CNL-MM) joins the Filipino people in acclaiming the leadership and lay faithful of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) or Aglipyan Church as this nationalist church celebrates its 116th Proclamation Anniversary.
The “Ama sumilang nawa ang aming pagsasarili” is a call to national liberation in the context of the US colonialism in 1902 until 1946 and neo-colonialism until now. This message can be found encrypted on a stone on the base of the image of the Birhen Balintawak propagated by IFI. May this call continue to challenge the clergy and lay people of IFI to remain faithful to its stand along with the Filipino people in demanding and fighting for national sovereignty and national patrimony.
The fight for the protection of human and democratic rights of the Filipino people cannot be realized if our country will remain a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The fight for genuine and lasting peace cannot be completed if the comprador-landlord class will continue to rule over the Filipino people. The fight for the propagation of a nationalist, scientific and mass-oriented culture cannot be achieved if the feudal and neo-liberal culture will continue to dictate and dominate the everyday life of every Filipino even in religious celebrations and practices.
Along with the other Christian churches in the Philippines, IFI can carry on a ministry of reconciliation, ecumenical life and partnership with the organized sectors of the society through faithful witnessing and solidarity. Through dialogues and consultations, IFI can help in forging a broader unity among Churches, Christians and church people against Rodrigo Duterte’s charter change, federalism, tyranny and dictatorship.
The IFI shall assert its role in supporting the struggle of the workers against contractualization and the promotion of the national industrialization; the struggle of the peasants for genuine land reform and rural development; the struggle of the urban poor and the homeless people for job, dissent housing and rights; and, the struggle of the national minorities and Moro people to ancestral domain and self-determination. These struggles and the struggle of other sectors like the women, youth and student, children and LGBTQ is being supported by IFI through its clergy, mandated organizations and ministries.
In casting out the evils in the present time, can be made easy if the unity and solidarity will not be limited among Churches and Christians. The IFI which has the history of linking with the basic sectors in our society can propagate an openness, mutual respect and cooperation. The CNL-MM is willing to be part of this endeavor and mission.


Mark A. Finley (born 1945) is the former host and director of It Is Written (from 1991–2004), for which he traveled around the world as a televangelist. He was the first pastor to do a satellite evangelistic series around the world and has written over 71 published books. Finley made his mark on the world, presenting more than 150 evangelistic meeting series in about 80 countries with resulting baptisms numbering in the thousands. He is currently a speaker on the Hope Channel. Finley and his wife, Ernestine “Teenie,” have teamed up in ministry throughout the years and also share a family of three grown children; Deborah, Rebecca, and Mark Jr.


Romans 12:1 encourages every Christian to walk with Jesus Christ as He has separated his disciples from the world. Paul beseeched his brothers and sisters in Christ to understand themselves so that they can present their bodies acceptable to the Lord.
Before encountering Jesus Paul himself was a persecutor of Christians. But after meeting Jesus he realized that Jesus is the only living God who defeated the death at his resurrection so everyone must accept him to inherit the everlasting life.
Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin and concerning the law, he was a Pharisee. He suffered a lot for the sake of Christ. But he understood that whatever he lost here will be gained in Christ through the resurrection.
He also claimed that all worldly things are rubbish before the righteousness of Jesus. He experienced that if he could gain Jesus then he will become a successful man in this world. In order to get Jesus, he left everything and went out to preach the gospel so that the world can also gain real-life which can be only found in Jesus alone.
Present Your Body As A Living Sacrifice
Paul teaches us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice before the Lord. In the Old Testament Jews people used to offer animals before the Lord to get forgiveness and blessing. But in the grace period, those sacrifices had no value in the eyes of the Lord.
Believers must appear with a repentant heart by which they can have a relationship with their creator. They should glorify God by their every single act. Jesus also says that his disciples would be light into the world and by looking at them, people in the world will get to know him.
The works of the flesh are evident in a man such as idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness(Galatians 5:20-21). But the wisdom of Jesus separates believers from these works.
Believing and accepting Jesus means separation from sin and its power to walk in the righteousness of the Lord. The children of God must avoid such practices and they should live a life that pleases God.
Giving up sinful acts allows the believers to fulfill the will of God. Though it is not easy to quit everything all of a sudden with the help of God it can be done. Abstaining from such evil works, Christians can present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God.
Present Your Bodies Holy To The Lord
Through his letter, Paul warns his readers to live a holy life as the Lord himself is holy. The Lord requires his children to live a holy life that will be free from sin. The children of God should be different from the children of this world.
In the Old Testament Israelites were the chosen people of God as they were separated from the other nations by the laws. In this grace period, Jesus has bought his disciples by his precious blood so that they can live a holy life to get salvation.
The word of God tells us to live according to the teachings of Jesus as he knows all our weaknesses. Jesus also commands his disciples to learn from him as he is holy.
The children of God must be aware that they are special people in the sight of the Lord. They should not do such activities which make them unholy. The scripture says that we all will die once and after which we will be standing before the Lord for the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
Nothing in this world can satisfy us except the presence of the Lord. If we obey the Lord and live according to his will only then he will be with us and we will enjoy our lives on this earth. To get the touch of the mighty God we should present ourselves holy before the Lord.
Present Your Bodies Acceptable To God
We get our bodies from our parents and from the Lord we get souls. After death, our bodies mix with the dust and the souls go to the above. We have no authority over our souls and bodies.
Those who do not know Jesus think that they are the owner of their bodies but the truth is that we are nothing. Everything belongs to the Lord and in the midst of that, we have a conscience by which we can make decisions about what to do or not do.
The Bible teaches us to be careful concerning our physical bodies as we are accountable to God after our death. We need to do works that can glorify God and his name. We should not commit any kinds of sin by which we will be sent forth into the lake of fire.
Paul asked his readers to abstain from sinful works which can defile the name of God. The world can see Jesus through the lives and works of his disciples. Everyone will receive his reward at the judgment so it is seriously important to satisfy God by presenting his body as acceptable to the Lord.
Which Is Your Reasonable Service
Paul teaches us that we must pay something to the Lord as he has done a great sacrifice for ourselves. Jesus being God suffered for us, he submitted himself in the hands of the sinful men to give us salvation.
The Bible says that we all are sinners, no one can claim himself righteous and we fall short of the glory of God ( Romans 3:23). We cannot enter heaven by our good works. We need to wash our sins from the blood of a sinless man. Because the Bible says that the wages of sin are death ( Romans 6:23).
To give us an eternal life Jesus came down on this earth by shedding his blood upon the cross. He gave his life for our sake. So we can be cleansed by his blood. He has taken our sins on the cross to make us righteous in the sight of the Father. Actually, he died in our place.
We must not neglect his sacrifice by which we can find grace. The Bible says that we are saved by his grace (Ephesians 2:5). To redeem us from the wrath of God, Jesus has done his part; now we have to lead our lives which will help us to please God.


Pro 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
It is very important to keep our tongue lined up with the Word of God. Speaking edification, encouragement, health and healing over others and ourselves. There is life and death in the power of our tongue. Proverbs 18:21
It does not mean that edification comes without a warning given in the Love of Christ to keep us from sin. The bottom line of His Love to us is to build us up, let's make sure we are building up with His Love, and not tearing one another down with our words, no backbiting, no gossiping, and no slandering. Love works no ill to the neighbor. None.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
In the perfect love and peace of Jesus,
Gary and Rhonda
Lily Band Psalmist
For more encouraging Scriptures and Bible verse study tools, visit our Bible Verse Of The Day website.
For current Houston Revival schedule, visit our Houston Revival website.


“God, is bigger than, the air I breathe, the world I’ll leave…” As a Christian, I say it, pray it, read it and sing it. So, why does God’s faithfulness always comes as a jolting shockwave?
Kirk and I are child advocates for Compassion International and because of this, we have seen hundreds, if not thousands of child packets…children needing sponsors. When a child is sponsored, I’m certain I have witnessed a miracle–someone else’s miracle. After an event, there are usually leftover packets of children who did not get selected. We mail them back to Compassion.
A few years ago, there was one packet remaining after a small event. We were busy, and the packet did not get sent back to Compassion immediately. It sat on our kitchen counter for a few days. It was the packet of a teenage boy. Having raised four boys to adulthood, I decided to read the packet–just check it out–we had been moving it around on the counter–in and out of meals, mail and spills. I saw that he played a musical instrument, which is common in our family. Heartstring tug. I sponsored him. His name is Rodel. He lives in the Philippines. I’d never been to the Philippines, nor did I have any plans that involved the Philippines. That was about three years ago. In the past year, I have traveled to the Philippines three times. Each time, the focus of the trip was for something other than visiting Rodel. Each time–I have visited him.
We traveled with our church youth group on a summer mission trip…I met Rodel and his grandmother at a mall. They flew from their home on the island of Palawan. I found out his grandmother is raising other grandchildren, Rodel’s young cousins. I helped her purchase backpacks, shoes and clothing for the children. I found out Rodel plays guitar — and he plays quite well. Oh, so does one of my sons. I play piano. Tug the heartstring! We write to each other often. I send guitar picks. He ends each letter with this: “I hope you never get tired of me.”
Again, God lead us to the Philippines. This time at the invitation of two of our pastors, the purpose was two-fold: a pastor vision trip for Hawaiian pastors not familiar with how Compassion works to alleviate and eliminate poverty; and our church exploring the possibility of becoming involved in a Compassion church-to-church relationship. Without our church input, Compassion country director, Noel, selected a church on the island of Palawan. I was excited to be going to Palawan because I could see Rodel at his home and Compassion church, though this was not the purpose of the trip. We made the necessary arrangements to visit Rodel. The island is big by Hawaii standards. It was decided I would spend time with him at the end of the trip.
As part of our introduction to the possibility of a Compassion church-to-church relationship, we were visiting families being served by the church with whom we would later establish a relationship. It is a Compassion church. After visiting the first home, the leader pointed to a small hut and said “this is a typical nepa hut.” I noted it was a little nicer than the others, yet still in an area of absolute abject poverty. We all took photos of the typical hut and moved on to the next-door neighbor’s house, where I went inside–about five or ten feet away. After a few moments, I heard my husband and then others calling my name. The children in the “typical” hut we had passed were holding a photo book I had made and sent to Rodel…on the cover was a photo of me and Rodel from our first meeting. I had been brought right to Rodel’s doorstep. God put Rodel’s packet on my kitchen counter, and now he brought me right to his doorstep. I don’t care how deep or wide our faith, this is shockwave grace!
I later learned from Rodel’s pastor, that the hut had been built with money from a simple family gift, after our first meeting. It seemed a small thing to do at the time. At the end of the trip, I spent the day at Rodel’s church, which was sponsoring a country-wide youth seminar titled “Forever Blessed.” I met the pastors, staff and many of Rodel’s friends. There were 2,700 teenagers at the event. Our day also included chasing crabs on the beach, the park, board walk, a tour of Puerta Princessa, we saw his elementary school, high school, market place and the driver of the van was none other than Rodel’s father, with whom he was just beginning to establish a relationship. This visit ended in tears of joy and thanksgiving. I brought Rodel to meet our pastors, we prayed with him.
God continues to work in our life. My husband is a business man. It is his spiritual gift. God has made him many things beautiful and wonderful…business is at the forefront. By August 2010, he was working full-time at our church in a managerial position and as director of missions and outreach. Our third trip to the Philippines was the result of a deliberate stopover while en route to Thailand to meet mission partners as part of my husband’s new job. It gave us the opportunity to again meet with our church-to-church partner in Palawan, and yes…another visit with Rodel. The trip fell on his 18th birthday. We sang “Happy Birthday” to the teenage boy from the packet that was moved around on our kitchen counter. He has graduated from High School and is attending a hotel/restaurant management school. He gave us a tour of the school, showed us each classroom and was particularly fond of the view of the city from the upper level, where they eat lunch, fellowship, relax–he was peaceful, comfortable. His grandmother tells me he cooks most of their family meals and is a very good cook. We took him to a grocery store where he selected food for the family meals and a special one for his birthday. On this visit, Compassion staff commented on how much Rodel has changed. His friends have changed, how he spends his time has changed, his relationship with his family has changed…all for good. He plays lead guitar in the praise band and no longer feels compelled to move to Manila, leaving family, and church behind. He has dreams of being a great chef in Palawan and continuing to serve his church on the praise team.
On the van ride back, and in the privacy of his thoughts, I watched as Rodel practiced “air guitar,” his long, skilled fingers moving up and down the invisible frets…rehearsing for Sunday worship service. “God, is bigger than, the air I breathe….”


We are always “in between” something: child to adult, here to there, sadness to gladness, singleness to marriage, slave to free, ignorance to knowledge, life to death. My goal is to capture those moments in my life.
WILL YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE?
I want to challenge you, my brothers and sisters! We were suited for our armor, we were trained to yield our Sword, we were given the best defensive tools possible. We are trained assassins, prepared to slay sin and darkness in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the power of His Spirit. You are called to be a full time warrior. You are called to be a full time missionary. It is simply not enough to have good Christian friends, attend a good church and be involved in cool Christian activities. It is simply not enough to sit in a Christian bubble. It is simply not enough to walk around, being kind to people, showing them God’s love through your actions and praying for them in the quiet of your own room. All of these things are a part of the mission — but, you and I are called to so much more. We are called to SHARE THE GOSPEL! You cannot make Jesus’ name famous if you don’t ever say His name to those who don’t know it.
The Gospel is offensive. The Gospel is risky. The Gospel is unsafe. The Gospel is scary.
BUT, The Gospel is the only way. The Gospel is beautiful. The Gospel is good news. The Gospel IS sinful, filthy, broken people, a powerfully just God, a perfectly redeeming Savior and a permanently sealing Spirit. You are called to make disciples of all nations — that includes our own, right now. So, GO! You are never ready enough on your own, so accept the Grace, be empowered by His strength and GO!
Words of Morgan C.


AN AMAZING FACT: It is estimated that there are more people in slavery today than at any previous time in history, with estimates as high as 27 million. The majority of these are debt slaves living in southern Asia.
In a sense, we are all slaves. We serve either righteousness or unrighteousness—God or sin. There is no neutral ground; we serve either one or the other.
Sin is a deceptive and brutal taskmaster. There is no real or lasting benefit in it. It does not easily release its subjects. And in the end it pays out death to its slaves.
But the Scripture says that being a slave of obedience gives hope. It leads to righteousness and, ultimately, eternal life.
How can a slave to sin change masters? If sin has a grip, how can one be freed? The only way to be rescued from this hopeless situation is to accept God’s gift. To anyone who asks, He will give freedom, forgiveness from sin, and everlasting life in Christ Jesus. That is the grace He offers to everyone.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:15-16What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:21-23


Click here for current service opportunities!
The greatest service we can give during this time of need is to pray for one another.
As we close the fiscal year in Missions, lets celebrate the generosity and faithful giving of our church family and prayerfully look ahead to the new year.
Each year Trinity gathers together to celebrate our Mission Partners and remember what God has done in the past year.
Dr. Eaker discusses how our own perspectives determines the things we are thankful for, and how serving in Jamaica made him remember we can choose to be thankful regardless of circumstance.
No matter what degree of medical knowledge you have, God can use you to help heal those in need! Read more about the Medical Mission trip to Jamaica!
“When I retired 11 years ago I knew I needed and wanted to have plans about how I would spend my day and pushing a button to wash dishes, wash clothes and dry clothes was not how I wanted to spend my precious time. I knew I wanted to go see my grandchildren and do other traveling that I never…


I was wondering for quite a long time what kind of an interesting building with a golden dome can be seen from a long distance in the in the 14th district of Vienna (Penzing). So I have decided to visit the St. Leopold’s Church at the Steinhof (official name) on my own.
The church is also known as the Otto Wagner Church, after the architect, who designed it for his time (1904 – 1907) in a very progressive and unusual style. It was the first church in Europe built in the modern Art Nouveau style.
Church of Fools
The Art Nouveau style in which the church was to be built also provided outrage among the people of Vienna, who opposed the construction of the church in the city. There was a general opinion that such a modern crazy church belonged ideally to a madhouse complex. Therefore, the church was actually built on the premises of the Social Medicine Center Baumgartner Höhe in Vienna.
The motto of the building?
“The form and shape of the building must be adapted to its function,” or “Art knows only one master – the need.” This were the credos of the architect Otto Wagner.
Absolute adaptation to the purpose
Since the church was to be built for mentally ill patients of the center resp. their doctors and nurses, the construction was completely adapted to this intention.
Church’s floor is sloping from the south entrance towards the sanctuary. The reason was not only a better view from the back rows, but also a simplification of the washing of the floor for hygienic reasons.
There is a first aid room inside of the church, where a doctor was present during the opening hours of the church, as well as a built-in toilet, which was rare at the time.
The benches of the church have rounded edges, confessionals are open and the legs of the benches are lined with copper plates to reduce the risk of an injury or tripping.
The benches have different lengths due to the division of patients into calm, partly calm and restless (e.g. benches for 4 people are designed for 2 restless patients and 2 nurses).
Another sensation, there is a reservoir to be filled with holy water, which than drops downwards so that visitors can catch the drops in the air, this method prevents infection.
On a lemon hill
The Steinhof complex, in which the church is located, is often called the lemon hill (Lemoniberg) obviously after the golden dome of the church, which resembles a half of a lemon.
Part of the church in Czechoslovakia
During the Second World War, stained mosaic glass windows were kept in Czechoslovakia for their protection. In 1950, they were returned to the church.
The irony of fate
St. Leopold’s Church at the Steinhof once rejected by the citizens because of his “crazy”, modern style, today one of the three best known and most acclaimed works of Art Nouveau in Vienna (about the other two sometimes in another post).
Unfortunately, I could not take photos of the interior of the church, as the church is closed to the public due to corona.
ALEXANDRA LAUBNER; Die verrückteste Kirche Wiens – Innere Stadt. Lokalnachrichten aus ganz Österreich auf meinbezirk.at [online]. Copyright © 2014 [cit. 09.04.2021]. Available at: https://www.meinbezirk.at/innere-stadt/c-gesundheit/die-verrueckteste-kirche-wiens_a934099#gallery=null
ANDREAS GAGER; JUGENDSTIL IN WIEN – EIN SPAZIERGANG ZUR OTTO WAGNER KIRCHE AM LEMONIBERG . REISEerinnerung – der Reiseblog [online]. Copyright © 2021 [cit. 09.04.2021]. Available at: http://reiseerinnerung.bplaced.net/index.php/themen-specials-2/100-wien/164-otto-wagner-kirche-steinhof
Kirche am Steinhof: 9 Fakten zur Otto-Wagner-Kirche; NEWS.AT; [online]. Copyright © 2019 [cit. 09.04.2021]. Available at: https://www.news.at/a/otto-wagner-kirche-am-steinhof-fakten-11171434
THOMAS FÖZÖ; Die Kirche am Steinhof – Otto Wagner Kirche; Seitenblicke aus Wien. [online]. Copyright © 2021. By WooThemes. [cit. 09.04.2021]. Available at: https://www.schick-seitenblicke.at/blog/2017/06/01/die-kirche-am-steinhof-otto-wagner-kirche/


I recently got married and the process and principles of marriage are on my mind. Marriage is a solemn promise between a man and woman, and a higher power, God, with a government often included. When it comes to marriage ceremonies, English is often a little different in flavour. Let me share with you a few of the differences.
Vows not promises
Although “promises” is a more modern English word, “vows” is the traditional word used for marriages. It is used less in everyday life and is a little more formal, which reflects the seriousness of the promises we make.
Thee not you
It’s quite possible that even in modern marriages we will use English which is more like Shakespeare’s plays than what we say every day. “Thee” is an old form of “you”. For example, “I take thee to be my lawfully wedded wife...”
The King James Version Bible
It is still very popular in many churches where weddings take place to use a 1611-version of the bible. The King James Version Bible was translated around Shakespeare’s time. This is a very good translation of the original languages of the bible, and many people read it every day even in modern times.
Why not watch a traditional western wedding on YouTube and see if you hear some of this language?


Visit one or more of these diminutive places of worship during your travels.
By Lowell and Kaye Christie, F47246
As we’ve traversed the United States through many years, we’ve found that some of the most memorable places are often the smallest. It’s the same way with churches. Somehow the tiny churches we have visited stick in our memory. We haven’t seen all of those listed in this column, but these 13 are worth a stop, and often a photograph. Many claim to be the smallest, and some may have been so at one time. But like beauty, perhaps size is in the eye of the beholder. Enjoy.
1. Memory Park Christ Chapel, South Newport, Georgia
Built in 1950 and still active, this “Smallest Church in America” measures 10 feet by 15 feet and seats 13 people. You’ll find a small pulpit, a few pews, and a stained-glass window. When local grocer Agnes Harper built the church, she specified Jesus Christ as its owner. Visitors are welcome to enter, relax, and pray any time, day or night. The chapel is located just south of Interstate 95 exit 67, on U.S. 17.
2. Traveler’s Chapel, Nashville, Illinois
Located off the Nashville exit of Interstate 64, this lovely chapel was built to serve weary travelers. It’s a small wooden structure perched on stilts, with a wooden walkway leading to the door. Inside, the walls are covered with Bible verses scrawled on bits of plywood. There are no pews “” just a padded piece of wood to kneel on in front of the floor-to-ceiling cross.
3. Morning Star Chapel, Elk Horn, Iowa
The Morning Star Chapel originally was constructed in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1951 by Danish immigrant Charles Johann Walensky, who passed it on to his daughter, who subsequently passed it on to her nephew, who donated it to the Danish Immigrant Museum, where it was moved to in 1995. You’ll find an altar, a pulpit, and four small pews inside “” all housed in a structure measuring only 6 feet by 8 feet.
4. Geographical Center Chapel, Lebanon, Kansas
In the precise center of the Lower 48 states lies another “smallest” chapel. This tiny, white, wooden chapel is approximately 6 feet by 7 feet in size. Perhaps “precise center” should be considered in the same way we define “smallest.” In 1918 the Coast and Geodetic Survey found the “center” of the country by balancing a cardboard cutout of the United States on a sharp point. When they found the balance point of the cutout, they declared it the geographical center of the U.S.
5. Monte Casino Chapel, Crestview Hills, Kentucky
This tiny place of worship, which is located on the campus of Thomas More College, measures 6 feet by 9 feet, with a ceiling height of 8 feet. More than a century ago, two Benedictine monks built the chapel at a nearby monastery; it wasn’t until the early 20th century that Ripley’s Believe It or Not claimed it to be the “Smallest Church in the World.” When the monks left the area, the chapel was abandoned, vandalized, and finally restored and moved to the college campus in 1965.
6. Madonna Chapel, Bayou Goula, Louisiana
Signs along the River Road proclaim the Madonna Chapel as the “Smallest Church in the World.” It isn’t, but it’s still worth seeing. Sometime back, it, too, was illustrated in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The chapel was built in 1903 by Anthony Gullo, a poor sugar farmer who prayed to the Virgin Mary for the recovery of his son. The son survived, so the grateful father built this chapel, measuring 8 feet by 8 feet, large enough to hold five chairs.
7. The Wayside Chapel, Atwood, Michigan
Owned by the Christian Reformed Church, this 8-foot-by-12-foot chapel is occasionally used for weddings, but it was intended as a rest stop for travelers. You’ll find it open 24 hours a day on Blue Heaven Lane, on the east side of U.S. 31 south of Atwood, Michigan.
8. Blue Mound Wayside Chapel, Luverne, Minnesota
In the early 1960s, pastor John De Vries and his congregation built a small chapel on a hill north of Luverne on U.S. 75 opposite Blue Mounds State Park. This chapel seats six to eight congregants, plus a minister. A bison herd lives in the nearby state park, and according to one account, a few animals occasionally wander over to take advantage of the shade offered by the small building.
9. Cross Island Chapel, Oneida, New York
This chapel, also touted as the “World’s Smallest Church,” sits on a wooden platform in the middle of a pond. A billboard near the road informs visitors that it was built in 1989, with a floor area of 51 inches by 81 inches. The nondenominational chapel seats only two people. We’ve read of a wedding being held there, even though there was only room in the chapel to accommodate a minister, the bride, and the groom. The rest of the wedding party was afloat in small boats nearby. Guests standing along the shoreline could watch but not hear the vows being said. This chapel is open to the public on request and, naturally, accessible only by boat.
10. St. Martin’s Church, Warrenton, Texas
In a state that prides itself on being big in everything, this tiny house of worship is an exception. The historic St. Martin’s Church is located between the towns of Round Top and Warrenton in central Texas. And with dimensions of 12 feet by 16 feet, it just might be the “World’s Smallest Catholic Church.” The welcome mat is out for visitors, and inside you’ll find everything ready to celebrate Mass, including an altar, a tabernacle, and a notebook to record prayer requests.
11. Evangelische Lutherische Kirche, Elbe, Washington
“The Little Lutheran Church” was built more than a century ago by German settlers. It, too, was classified by Ripley’s Believe It or Not as the “Smallest Church in America,” but it is a bit larger than many on our list, measuring 18 feet by 24 feet and seating a whopping 46 people. Because the chapel lies along the highway travelers use to reach Paradise, a developed area in Mount Rainier National Park, the church is promoted as being “on the road to Paradise.”
12. The Wayside Chapel, Sultan, Washington
“Pause … Rest … and Worship” reads a sign in front of the always-open Wayside Chapel, which contains four small, two-person pews, a pulpit, and two vases of artificial flowers. A painted landscape of distant mountains hangs next to the wooden cross. Visitors can leave handwritten prayers on the yellow legal pad on the pulpit.
13. Our Lady Of The Pines, Horse Shoe Run, West Virginia
his church has long been promoted on signs and postcards as the “Smallest Church in 48 States.” (Obviously these are very old signs and postcards.) The 12-foot-by-24-foot chapel seats 12 people. The grounds provide a lovely setting, complete with flowering bushes and a water-lily pond. Word has it that a bonus attraction is located nearby: the “World’s Smallest Post Office.”