Driving through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — a vast, sparsely populated region that is as big as some states — I saw a familiar roadside sign.
It was the “the Episcopal Church Welcomes You” sign that almost all Episcopalian churches have erected as a way of pointing visitors toward their church.
Driving along U.S. Highway 2 toward Duluth, Minnesota, this is the last thing I expected to see. The closest city, Escanaba, was about 20 miles behind me.
As both a church crawler and a faithful Episcopalian, I was intrigued because there was no real explanation for an Episcopal parish church out here in the middle of nowhere. Years ago? Maybe, but not today, especially when the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan is basically dead and the ecclesiastical equivalent of a rotten borough.
So, I made a U-turn and then turned left, crossing railroad tracks and then drove a couple of blocks past a handful of older homes — homes that had seen better days — until I saw a simple white church and the same familiar Episcopal signage, although it was obvious that the church was disused. And of course, the doors were locked.
Architecturally, the edifice is not dissimilar from other countryside churches and one-room schoolhouses. However, it would be a stretch to call it Carpenter Gothic.
The map application on my smart phone told me I was at Zion…
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