Faith Baptist Church. Wickapecko Road in Ocean Twp. Paul Goldfinger photograph. Nov. 2015 . Blogfinger.net. Click once to enlarge.
2026: This historic country church has lately been revitalized by a new young congregation. We have been photographing it for years, and we will be interested in how it evolves.
Adagio in E Major by Mozart. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Faith Baptist Church. Wickapecko Rd. Ocean Township. Paul Goldfinger photograph. November 21, 2015. Click once to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @ Blogfinger.net.
Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe and many other painters and photographers loved to go to Taos, New Mexico for one particular subject: The Rancho de Taos Church.
Andrew Wyeth painted about 1,000 studies of the farmhouse at Kuerner’s, his neighbor’s property in Pennsylvania. Here is a link we posted about that subject Wyeth at Kuerners. The Wyeth article continues to interest strangers since many still visit BF to look at that image.
Harry Callahan was famous for his nude photographs, but he photographed only one woman—–his model and muse: wife Eleanor.
George Tice, the famous New Jersey photographer who died recently, loved to photograph Paterson, NJ. I met him and took a darkroom course with him. He said that if had to only photograph Paterson scenes for the rest of his life, he could happily do it.
My point is that artists tend to revisit sites and subjects that fascinate and inspire them.
One place that often gets my attention is the Faith Baptist Church on Wickapecko Drive in Ocean Township near the A. Park border. For years I returned there during different times of year, but it always seemed to be empty, even on Sundays.
However recently there have been services there again, and when those folks assembled outside as the Sunday services resumed, there were young families and the scene was coming to life. And the property is undergoing restoration.
I drove by on Easter, and many families, dressed brightly were outside cheerfully talking as the little kids ran around. I didn’t photograph them this time.
Here is a link from my post about this beautiful site dated 2013
I frequently pass this church because Wickapecko Drive is a country road that provides an alternate scenic route coming back from Wegmans to the Grove. Just turn right off Sunset Avenue by the firehouse with Chief Wanamassa painted on the side (see below.)
Indians used to paddle their canoes around there. Sometimes they had to take a detour because of Township road work.
The Chief first met white men when the Ocean Township DPW began paving Sunset Avenue. That historic work continues to this day.
Legend has it that Chief W. had a vision that told him to open a Wegmans nearby. You can sometimes find him shopping there in the Kosher department for lox.
The Wickapecko Indians were Rutgers fans, and that is why they were called red men. They would go to football games with no shirts, painting RU on their chests. They have been upset since the 18th century over Rutgers football misfortunes.
The church has a woodsy setting, and the light often twinkles on the front and sides as the massive trees cast all sorts of changing shadows.
I have photographed it many times, but this image, obtained in late afternoon, after making a carrot, dill, and celery run for Eileen who was working on a batch of chicken soup, is what I had been looking for.
I shot it this time both in color and black and white, but the latter, with a “vintage” tint, looks fine.
THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA From the Imus Ranch Record II