Faith Chapel, Jekyll Island, Georgia

 

“Old churches must not simply stand as monuments to the past but as spiritual grandparents that have invested in the future by passing on their life to others and releasing their offspring to form new congregations. Church planting needs to be given priority by old-line denominations”.

Eddie Gibbs

Faith Chapel is a lovely historic chapel that was built back in 1904 and is located in the historic section of Jekyll Island, Georgia. This quaint church is set back off the road in a serene setting with beautiful tropical landscape surrounding it. We were captivated by how picturesque and appealing this church was that we just had to stop.

The first chapel that sat here was called the Union Chapel and was used from 1898-1904 when various clergymen came to the island to preach for the various denominations. The congregation soon outgrew this church and it was time to have a new church built with more room. After funds were raised, they built a new church .

The members of the Jekyll Island Club, who were millionaires such as the Astor's, Morgan’s, Carnegie’s, and Rockefeller's, chose to have it built in a simple Gothic Revival style. They wanted it to resemble an early Colonial Meeting House. It surprised and pleased me that they kept this church simple and that they didn’t make it too elegant. This was the second interdenominational chapel built on the island.

One of the rules of the Jekyll Island Club was it required all the members to attend church every Sunday. If they couldn’t make it for any reason, they could send their servants in their place which I’m sure was looked down upon.

It was built of wood and covered with dark shingles made from Tidewater Red Cypress. The simple wood “A” frame with brick foundation has beautiful arched windows and exposed beams. The interior has red carpet and red cushions on the seats giving off a warm glow that brings serenity to all while in the church. We were unable to get inside the church the day we visited as they had closed for the day. We were disappointed but we will come back another day when it is open.

There are gorgeous stain glass windows to be seen which were made by Louis Comfort Tiffany and Maitland Armstrong and his daughter, Helen Maitland Armstrong. The are beautifully done and full of brilliant color.

This red simple chapel stands out among all the green luscious plants on the lot. On the steeple of the church under the roof line, terra cotta gargoyles adorn the four corners watching. These gargoyles are replicas of the ones that are on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Why put gargoyles on churches you ask. Well, they use them for two purposes. One is to ward off or guard the church from evil or harmful spirits. The other reason is they use them as decorative water spouts to divert the water flow away from the building.

This charming church has been put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm and can be rented for weddings and special occasions. The church can seat 110 people. What a romantic setting and stunning church filled with warmth, charm, and history.

                                                   Till next time. Bye for now.