Today my steps took me to a memorial service at Third Presbyterian Church (I don’t know what they did with the first and second churchs) on East Ave. This, along with St. Paul Episcopal, Incarnate Word Lutheran, and Asbury First Methodist, is one of those mainline Protestant cathedralish looking churchs that you would expect to find on East Ave. Lots of beautiful stained glass, but I was impressed by a couple of other things.

On my way to find the restroom, I came upon this section of wall that had been cut away to reveal the original stone wall from the 1800s. I thought this was a great way to remember the past without living in it.

On the outside lawn was another remembrance. There I found this plaque, a tribute to the evangelist Charles Finney, who was actually the acting pastor of the church during the winter of 1830-1831. The plaque reads in part that Finney by his “spiritual ministry transformed the lives of thousands and made this a better city for all time.” I think that this is true, although I cringe whenever I hear about another shooting in the city. Rochester still leads the country in charitable giving. And I know I heard the Holy Spirit ringing through the voices of the preschoolers in the church’s outdoor play area. Like I said, remembering the past, but living in the present.