You know what I learned on Saturday?
London.. my local city... was a haven for slaves escaping from well.. Slavery! Who would have known? I probably shouldn't have been surprised to learn this but I was.
We were able, through OPEN DOORS London, to visit this historic church.
The building we visited was not the original slave chapel as it's no longer safe to let people into, but was a building used later one by folks who stayed in the area after the civil war in the States.
Beth Emmanuel. They are working at preserving the old chapel.
London.. my local city... was a haven for slaves escaping from well.. Slavery! Who would have known? I probably shouldn't have been surprised to learn this but I was.
We were able, through OPEN DOORS London, to visit this historic church.
The building we visited was not the original slave chapel as it's no longer safe to let people into, but was a building used later one by folks who stayed in the area after the civil war in the States.
Beth Emmanuel. They are working at preserving the old chapel.
We first went into the basement of the church which was filled with information about the slaves coming to Canada. The laws at the time allowed slave catchers to follow them up and bring them back, but most stayed well in hiding. This chapel ministered to them.
It also had a section where they talked about the restoration efforts at the original chapel. They had this dear elderly woman standing there chatting with people as they came up to see. She was so delighted in showing how they were peeling off the layers of wall paper. It was neat to see her excitement. They also had the floor plan laid out so that we could see what the buildings design was.
After pursuing the basement information we were encouraged to go upstairs to the meeting area. This chapel is still active. I talked with the parson for a bit and learned that the members are mostly senior, but they have an active children's ministry with between 30-60 children showing up every Sunday. I was impressed. It is by no means a huge building, and that active community involvement.. made me want to start attending because that would just be fun! :)
It was an open area, they don't have the pastor sit or stand above anyone else as they believe all are created equal in the sight of God and that means within the church as well. They had these lovely stained glass windows.
It was an open area, they don't have the pastor sit or stand above anyone else as they believe all are created equal in the sight of God and that means within the church as well. They had these lovely stained glass windows.
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Aren't they nice?
Let's see, what else can I add about this unexpected piece of history.
Pieces of art work were scattered about upstairs as well.
I thought these pieces interesting, what do you think?
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