Thursday July 13, 2023; 7:36 AM EDT
- At the apartment we were visiting near Columbia University, the hallway neighbor was getting rid of books, and each time we ran into him I accepted one book. First was a thick paper almanac of the City of New York from 1957 or 1958. Full of history, quaint details about the city, advertisements for tours and shows and movies. One advertisement gave the impression that the movie The Ten Commandments would be showing in town for most of the year -- which seemed to explain why it would be worthwhile to take out an ad for a single film at a particular theater. Another ad listed places one would see on a particular bus tour of the city. All of these but one were familiar and unsurprising. Wall Street, Rockefeller Center, that sort of thing. But one I had never heard of: The Little Church Around the Corner. #
- I couldn't imagine what TLCATC might be so I googled it. Here's the story.#
- In the middle of the nineteenth century an actor died, and one of his colleagues visited a prominent church to inquire about having the funeral there. The rector said, Well, this friend of yours wasn't an actor like you are, was he? Well, yes, the friend replied. The rector said, We won't be having a funeral for an actor in our church. Perhaps you should try the little church around the corner.#
- So he did, and he and his friend's funeral were welcomed there, creating the reputation said to endure to this day of being a welcoming place for all who sought the comfort and community of a house of worship. And they have a nice website that tells the story and shares pictures. TLCATC does look like a little church, one that is welcoming even to actors. According to the story, the fancy church that turned the actors away no longer exists.#