Grand Canyon chapel welcomes all faiths

Instead, various churches combined and, with the help of Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, built the current Shrine of the Ages facility in the late 1960s. However, the churches were unable to develop financial support to keep the building going, so the National Park Service took it over and let the churches rent space while also using the facility for other meetings and concerts.

The LDS Church has a 1 to 4 p.m. time for meetings at the Shrine of the Ages, with sacrament meeting first as part of the Grand Canyon Branch.

The other four faiths have Sunday morning meetings and evening services at the Shrine. Catholics also have a 5:30 p.m. Mass. The Grand Canyon Community Church has Bible study on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and the Grand Canyon Baptist Church has its Bible study at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

There is a permanent population of almost 2,000 people living in the Grand Canyon Village, and that's the backbone for most of these churches.

Alan Keil, president for the Grand Canyon Branch of the LDS Church, said the branch recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It has 65 membership records and averages attendance of about 25 people each Sunday. Keil said one recent summer meeting had 98 in attendance.

The Shrine has a large meeting room that seats about 250 people and a smaller one that seats about 75.

Keil admits five different faiths meeting in the same building does create strict limitations on meetings. However, he said, the local Protestants love to have their meetings in the mornings, so the branch's early afternoon block works well.

Regarding whether the grandeur of the Grand Canyon can foster a belief in a divine creator, Keil said, "I do have an appreciation for God's handiwork, because I do live at the Grand Canyon." However, he said, if he lived in a big city, his appreciation probably wouldn't be a significant factor in his life.

The nearby town of Tusayan also has a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. In addition, there is a Christian Ministry in the National Parks group (www.acmnp.com) active at the South Rim (and many other national parks).

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has far fewer religious services than the South Rim. There's a seasonal Catholic Mass at the Grand Canyon Lodge, North Rim, on Saturday evenings. The Christian Ministry in the National Parks also sponsors an interdenominational service there.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com