To continue my reminiscing from the previous Ruby Foo’s post, I reiterate that the trip to and from church was a rather long one on the buses. It took us two buses to get there, and I am thinking that it probably a 40 minute trip each way. But Evangel was really the only Pentecostal church in Montreal, or at least the largest one and also the only one that we could feasibly get to. For its time, it was a pretty noteworthy edifice for a lowly Pentecostal congregation.
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| Evangel Temple still sits in a prime real estate location in Montreal. |
This is what the interior of the church looked like in the 1950s. There was usually a fairly large orchestra on the commodious platform. I have added a red ellipsis approximately where our little family would sit. It is quite likely that I would be in the picture if it were taken on a Sunday morning.
Modern services look a little different.
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| Taken from the balcony at the back. |
Although it was a longish bus ride, the family had begun attending Evangel back in the day when they lived within walking distance, so we kept on going for the next five years after we moved to the suburbs.
Later, when a small Pentecostal church opened in a school, my elementary school to be precise, we ceased our marathon bus ride and walked to church. A small meeting in a school gym was very different than the big, downtown church, but I liked it. I liked them both.
Church was important to me until a half-life ago, when I suddenly stopped believing, but that may be another story for another time — or possibly not.
The first time I went to church it was in the 1960's. It was an outdoor church held under coconut trees and a shading net over us with rough hewn benches. It was interesting but nothing I continued with.
ReplyDeleteChurches are beautiful and such a good place for people to get together. I wasn't brought up in a religious family, but have visited just about every kind of church with friends of mine.
What an interesting place.
I never went into a church until I was able to walk in by myself. I'm glad for the lack of religious studies in my youth,
ReplyDeleteBig churches can be intimidating. Do tell why you lost your faith!
ReplyDeleteThe congregation in the second photograph looks huge - standing room only.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics of a big church! I've lived across the street from a small Evangelical church in Corpus Christi TX, where windows were open to share the joyous music with the neighborhood! In Atlanta my family were members of a community church (sort of Evangelical, but I don't remember it being stated!) where rock and roll bands were all the music. That orchestra is quite impressive!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Liz! Always interested in stories about faith of any kind, and the loss or gaining of it.
ReplyDeleteI was raised a heathen. My father ardently disliked organized religion. I don't have any relies baggage because of that. Mark was raised conservative Catholic, but he stopped believing decades ago. He started applying logic and, well...Saying this, I understand the feeling of community and belonging.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you stop believing?
ReplyDeleteEvangel Pentecostal Church ⛪️ 🙏 is still there. They have a very good choir.
ReplyDeleteI grew up attending church every Sunday as well. Although I always looked forward to getting home to eat breakfast. I remember being hungry for what felt like hours!
ReplyDeleteAh yes! Pentecostal service could be long, and then follows the social milling about and the long bus ride afterward. So, we didn't get our lunch/dinnder until late. But my mother would usually have put something in the oven and set the timer, so it was ready whenever we got home. Maybe 2 o'clock? It was a long morning with the two bus rides.
DeleteI was reared an Episcopalian and although I still believe in a higher power, I despise what many churches espouse and do these days. That said, I still love going into beautiful churches and cathedrals to look around. Montreal's Notre Dame is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteThe kids were there on their recent visit for (I think) a light and music display. BTW, that is where Celine Dion got married.
DeleteI enjoyed your reminiscing. That's quite a big church.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been in a church since I was a kid. But it is nice inside.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in reading the rest of your story.
ReplyDeleteMy father was a Presbyterian minister even though he was raised in Assembly of God, another Pentacostal denomination. Dan was raised Baptist. We joined a Presbyterian church once our oldest daughter was born for the community it offered. Later we switched to United Church of Christ, an even more liberal denomination. We attend one now in Hanover, NH but are not really feeling the community aspect as we live 30 minutes away.
I would be interested in hearing about how you stopped believing, if you choose to post about it.
ReplyDeleteAs best I can remember I have actually never been inside a church in my life, except for one visit to the Cologne Cathedral in Germany when I was there in 1984, and that was purely for architectural sight-seeing.