Mesa, Arizona Easter Pageants are an age-old tradition in the United States, with celebrations ranging from small presentations in community churches to large-scale Passion Plays. Among the longest-running and now by far the largest annual performance is the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant. This production, organized by the Church of Latter Day Saints, has been around for … [Read more...]
WEDDING CHAPELS OF LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas, Nevada One of America’s strangest religious institutions, for lack of a better term, can be found in one of America’s strangest cities: Las Vegas. Here, lining the famous Strip and elsewhere throughout the city, can be found dozens of small churches, almost all of which cater exclusively to weddings. Here, in America’s wedding capital, countless couples tie the … [Read more...]
TEMPLE SQUARE
Salt Lake City, Utah The Mormon Temple of Salt Lake City is the world headquarters of the Church of Latter Day Saints, America’s largest home-grown religious denomination. It also the second largest active Christian headquarter complex in the United States. The Temple itself is the centerpiece of the complex, which consists of dozens of other buildings, including the Mormon … [Read more...]
CATHEDRAL OF SAN FERNANDO
San Antonio, Texas The Cathedral of San Fernando is one of the most important Catholic church buildings in the United States. Established as an archdiocese seat when Texas was still a territory of Mexico, it was the first cathedral built and so designated in that part of North America. When Texas was annexed to the United States, the Cathedral of San Fernando instantly … [Read more...]
SAN MIGUEL MISSION
Santa Fe, New Mexico In the 16th and 17th centuries, the colonization of the eastern coasts of North America by the English, French and Dutch began in earnest. But it was not along the relatively accessible Eastern Seaboard where America’s first church was built. Strangely, it was in the highly inaccessible desert hinterland of what is now northern New Mexico where Spanish … [Read more...]
MEGACHURCHES OF HOUSTON
Houston, Texas Over the last few decades, Protestant Christianity has seen the development of a new phenomenon, especially in the United States: the Megachurch. These Megachurches are exactly what they sound like: huge community churches with very large, regularly attending congregations. At last count, there were over one thousand such churches in the United States. Not … [Read more...]
EVANGELICAL SITES OF OKLAHOMA
Tulsa & Edmond, Oklahoma Central Oklahoma has always been an integral part of the Bible belt since pioneer days, and it is home to several the quintessential Bible Belt cities. One of these is Tulsa, home of the Oral Roberts ministry and the Oral Roberts University; and another is Edmond, the home of Life Covenant Church, which currently holds the recored as the largest … [Read more...]
