Creepy Church

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 03/09/2016 at 08:00 • Filed to: Michigan

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Yesterday, while going out to vote for no reason, we also came across probably one of the creepiest churches I have ever seen....that still seems to be in use. There were cars around it on the other side.

there’s even a small playground to the right; you know, for the kids.

I do appreciate architecture ( my dad’s an engineer, it’s in my blood), and this church would have looked really good and simple if it was in good shape. But this....I’d be afraid to touch it for fear of it collapsing.

I have a sudden urge to ring a church bell. Who’s with me?

Unfortunately decayed buildings is the norm out here, but it’s usually barns and sometimes houses. Also, it would probably help if the people paid their tithe, :p.

I guess it’s too much time and money to just repair it or take it down? I have no idea, but these buildings are essentially ghosts of the past that serve as a reminder of what once was.

Thomas Donohue > zeontestpilot 03/09/2016 at 08:08

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Do Christians not normally like architecture?

(Also, it’s ‘would have’, not ‘would of’.)

Anyway, way cool/creepy church. I remember a similar one in a small town in NY. I shall now try to find it 30 years later on Google maps.

zeontestpilot > Thomas Donohue 03/09/2016 at 08:13

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And corrected. That Christian line was something else I wanted to say, but didn't complete the thought. It's pointless now, lol.

Thomas Donohue > zeontestpilot 03/09/2016 at 08:17

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I found it. Looks like they’ve kept up the maintenance! (Amazing how you can find something on a map, in spite of never knowing any of the names of roads or most of the towns.)

zeontestpilot > Thomas Donohue 03/09/2016 at 08:26

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I know, right? There’s a town we always pass through if we take the backroads to MrsZtp’s parents. No idea of it’s name, but there is always something I interesting there. One time I saw a minivan given a 10' lift kit with massive tire's. Another time a really old bmw for sale. I love passing through that town, :).

Stapleface > zeontestpilot 03/09/2016 at 09:00

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Around my way, that church would be razed and a new 25,000 sqft stucco and glass monster church would be made in it's place. I guess people in this area just don't believe (donate) in God as much.

zeontestpilot > Stapleface 03/09/2016 at 09:14

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On the road going to that church, there were at least 4-5 other buildings in the same shape. So I guess people just don’t care?

I guess I see no issue with paying my tithe? It is used to keep the church open, and helps pay the staff. Im at a church where most staff members are part time employees or volunteers. The only full time employee I know of is the pastor himself, and between his wife and him they have a Milan and a 9th gen Impala, so he isn’t making too much, :).

Stapleface > zeontestpilot 03/09/2016 at 09:19

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Yeah, around where I live (Northeast), churches are big business. Most pastors drive German luxury cars, and not the entry level ones either. They make money by the fistful.

I'm all for someone paying their tithe, but I kind of question where that money really goes around here.

zeontestpilot > Stapleface 03/09/2016 at 09:32

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There’s a mega church two towns over, it took the 2nd time visiting it for the greeters to acknowledge my family. After that 2nd Sunday I told my wife we’ll find another church.

Our current church is small, my daughter had 2 other kids in her age group. But it’s also more personal, I like that. I’m always greeted, and the church is passionate in helping others.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Stapleface 03/09/2016 at 11:56

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Finances in a small church are tough. I am one of the financial officers of my church, which will have 40 attendees on a typical Sunday, and 60-70 on a particularly robust day. (About half our attendees are children, teens, or college students, who...as most of us know, have no real income to give from or to spare.)

As Zeon mentioned, everyone can be giving, but the bills must first be paid, and then the staff. Even if the grounds are completely paid for and not taxed, standard costs such as electricity, gas, water/trash, phone/dsl, and property insurance add up. That last one is the kicker: close to $450 for our property insurance every month. AFTER those needs are met, then the staff can be paid. We only have one paid staff member: the minister, who is paid roughly half of what my salary as a public educator is, a specific amount agreed upon by the church board.

(I, a single man in my late 30s, do fine on my salary. Our minister is a father of five, three of whom are teens. He has to sell real estate during the week to make sure his family is provided for.)

Building improvements have to come out of the excesses of the offering plate. Most months, we typically only have $100-$200 left over, and often, that may be given to someone in need who wanders in looking for help. (People who lose their jobs suddenly will often drive by our church and see the building lit up for Wednesday/Friday Bible study, and then stop in to ask for help. We give what we can.)

Consider then, that the cost to reshingle...just to strip the old shingle and install new shingle...on the roof of the church in these photos would be $8-10k in El Paso. If the church were to just purchase the materials and shingle the roof themselves, you’re down to $3000. (How do I know this? Because my Miata wasn’t the only thing that got destroyed by our hailstorm. My church’s roof did, and our roof was not insured, because...well, that’s an even longer post. Anyways, we haven’t fixed our roof yet.) THAT church in the pictures? It’s going to need waaay more than a shingle job. The entire roof needs to be rebuilt structurally. Then all that wood siding that’s rotted.

I conservatively estimate a minimum of $50,000 of repair, materials and labor, for the outside of that building. :(

If that church isn’t populated by at least 250-350 upper-middle class adults who give regularly, that kind of money just is not likely to materialize. :/