What is the Philadelphia sacred space you chose? Why did you choose it? What is its address? What are the hours it is open? Or who do you need to contact for them to open it for you (only for sites that are ‘by permission only’).

Old Zion Lutheran Church
628 N Broad St, PA 19130

Sacred Space Project
The goal of this assignment is to observe the ways in which religion is part of how Philadelphia presents itself to the social world and how social forces shape religion in Philly. Philadelphia proudly displays its historic religious heritage, and there are many public “sacred spaces,” ranging from churches to synagogues, cemeteries to temples. In this assignment you will visit one of these spaces as a “tourist.” To choose a place to visit, you might start by visiting the following websites:

Partners for Sacred Places preserving heritage, faith, and community


http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/sacred-places/

There you will find many options; many others are also available in the collection of URLs on the course Blackboard site. You may also consult Roger Moss, Historic Sacred Places of Philadelphia (on reserve at Paley), which includes some other choices, or you can just do your report on some sacred site down that you are curious about or just happened to have stumbled upon. There are also sample reports on the Blackboard site. Please do not choose the church/synagogue/temple/mosque that you regularly attend or have visited previously. YOU MUST GO SEE THIS IN PERSON and write a brief report (with pictures, so remember to bring a camera or an I-phone) about your experience:

Planning ahead: Assuming that one exists, find a website of your destination to work on the logistics of visiting. You will need to keep a receipt of your visit and staple it to this assignment (barring that, have someone take your picture in the space).

Visit, think, observe, reflect, shoot photos, take notes, and write a short paper (roughly 5 pages, including photos) in consideration of the following questions:

What is the Philadelphia sacred space you chose? Why did you choose it? What is its address?
What are the hours it is open? Or who do you need to contact for them to open it for you (only for sites that are ‘by permission only’).
What is the entrance fee? (Is there a coupon for this in the PEX coupon book?)
What forms of transportation are available to take you to the site?
If you are taking a bus, regional rail or subway, what line or what stop will you take or use?
If you drove, where did you park and how much did it cost?
What year was your sacred space established?
What social forces influenced its establishment and what social forces might shape its future?
What is the history of the site?
What do you think that the future holds for the site, and why?
Who uses the sacred space today?
Did you take a tour? Who gave it? What did you learn that most impressed you?

In your report please include photos of the three parts that most impressed you and explain what about them intrigued you (you are encouraged to include other photos, too) and note why they impressed you. The report should be about 5 pages, including photos and any addenda; about half of the report should be your own writing. The report must be submitted as a hard copy in class All students are required to do the report whether or not their oral presentation is tied to it.

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