Any one of these bizarrely named churches could be in your hometown though they appear to hale from an altered state… pray we do not “altar” them further.

Prayer House Rock

Elvis may have left the building but he left a half-eaten peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich on the collection plate. Welcome to the 24-hour Church of Elvis, a Portlandia attraction that isn’t really a church and has no known affiliation with The King’s estate. On the other hand, the eclectic storefront at 408 NW Couch is the self-stated “Worlds first 24-hour coin-operated Art Gallery” so at least it’s a profitable enterprise… like most churches. (images via brx0 and Steve Schroeder)

Let the Spirit Move You

Here’s the Palm Bible Church in Soweto, South Africa, whose sign out front bears the perplexing slogan “The Move of God”. Somehow we doubt that refers to Sunday being a popular moving day but hey, we’ve been wrong before. Let’s move on. (image via Paul Birnie)

Sin In Stranger

“Sin will find you out”? Hoo boy, that ship sailed a LONG time ago! Perhaps a better – or at least, more enticing – slogan might read “Salvation lies within”. We get it, though: neon signs don’t come cheap and like The Godfather says, fear can be a potent motivator. (image via Sam Lavy)

Pews ‘R Us

When they say “Find It Here”, they don’t mean sin… OK, depends on what type of used furniture you’re buying and what purpose it’s to be used for. Wait, you may be asking, what does used furniture have to do with a church? We can only shrug our shoulders and refer you to “Bill”… if you can find him. (image via Julia TortoiseHugger)

Fertile Pastors

The New Dimensions Worship Center might be “A Place of New Beginnings” but if their sign’s any indication, it’s also the scene of many happy endings. Gotta give ’em credit, though: while other churches advise that laying in bed on Sunday morning shouting “OH GOD!” doesn’t constitute going to church, New Dimensions replies “Why not both?” (image via David Smith)

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A tiny abandoned church dating back to the end of the Civil War reflects the reserved reverence exhibited by its long-scattered African-American congregation.

Alter State

This long-abandoned Church of God of Prophecy can be found on the north side of Mt Olive Lane, just off the Patrick Henry Highway (U.S. Route 360) in Amelia County, Virginia. The nearest town – “unincorporated community”, actually – is Chula, several miles to the northeast. The city of Richmond proper lies a few more miles eastward.

Muted Chorus

According to at least one source from March of 2015, this particular church was built around 1866 and its original name was the “Mount Herman Presbyterian Church… and served as an African-American place of worship” The source further stated that when she contacted the local historical society, their spokesperson related that “when she moved to the area forty-five years prior (roughly 1970), the church was abandoned and to this day it still is.”

Steeple 1, People 0

Photographer and urbex explorer Joel Handwerk visited the so-called “Tiny Church” somewhat recently, and the images featured here have been selected from a 9-photo set posted at his online showcase: Lithium Photo. Kudos and credits to Joel for his usual stellar effort, his keen eye and practiced camerawork revealing the timeless and ethereal atmosphere exuded by this church within and without.

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Faint Prays Tiny Abandoned African American Church

Bizarrely-named churches tend to stand out but someone must’ve got into the sacramental wine before tagging titles on these 10 hilarious houses of worship.

Foursquare Deal

Go ahead and snicker, Millennials, but the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (aka The Foursquare Church) was founded in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson. Using “Blazing Saddles Logic”, the church can sue the Foursquare City Guide app which dates back to only 2008. Oh, and hopefully they’ll use a font other than Comic Sans when filing their legal briefs. Seriously guys, Comic Sans?? Flickr members Manne and Nick Richards snapped the Peckham, London, UK location of the evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Wilsonburned

Have you seen this God? Because he is freakin’ AWESOME! He also looks alarmingly – five-alarmingly, even – like “Wilson” from the movie Cast Away. Now we know what happened to Tom Hanks’ voiceless volleyball pal after drifting away from that flimsy raft: he washed up in Buffalo, NY and became revered by the dumbfounded natives for his supernatural snow-melting power. Flickr member Jamie (jbcurio) snapped the Praise Tabernacle church’s admittedly awesome signboard in March of 2008.

Immaculate Perfection

A Perfect Church for an imperfect world… and a thumb in the eye to all those other churches that obviously must be flawed in one way or another. Flickr member genebrooks snapped the red brick “religious center” located on McDaniel St SW in Atlanta, GA on March 7 of 2016.

Be Fruitful

Give genebrooks credit, he’s got a knack for spotting weird churches – or in this case their van, parked somewhere in South Korea. We can’t imagine what a typical service at the “Church of Fruits” must be like but we assume their communion wafers offer parishioners sweet salvation with added Vitamin JC.

Fake Pews

We’ve got a reality show president so why not a church where the only thing scripted is… the scripture. Welcome to the 1st Keep It Real Fellowship Church, located in Little Rock, AR. We imagine Sunday sermons exhort penitents to keep the faith first, and ask questions like “If God is all-powerful, can He make a rock so heavy He Himself can’t lift it?” later. Flickr member LRD615 snapped the very real, as in “you can’t make this stuff up” real, church in March of 2007.

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Impreached 10 Bizarrely Named Churches Chapels

The symbols carved into stones commemorating the dead can reveal a lot about the deceased’s beliefs and philosophies, or at least those attributed to them by their families when they were buried. Grave symbolism ranges from well-known symbols of major religions to the arcane and complex, each one often containing layer after layer of hidden meaning known only to those initiated into certain organizations. These 15 common symbols seen in cemeteries around the world are often meant to relay messages to those who are still living.

Winged Skull

(images via: jenn g, xlibber)

The winged skull most often means a dead person’s journey is not over; after they’ve shed their physical form, they are flying away to another realm. In the United States, the ‘death’s head’ was initially a non-religious symbol simply used to denote a buried corpse, as the Puritans didn’t believe in using religious symbols on graves. The particular style of the death’s head motif on older graves acted as a calling card for the carver.

Serpent

(images via: henning muhlinghaus, chynna67)

The serpent represents everlasting life, especially when seen in ‘ouroboros’ form, when it creates the shape of a circle with its own tail in its mouth. The snake cheats death by shedding its skin. The Orphic Egg (a snake wrapped around an egg) is an occult symbol representing the personification of light, the hermaphroditic Greek deity Phanes/Protogonus, who created the other gods. Two snakes wrapped around a winged staff (aka the caduceus) similarly represents the hermaphroditic god Hermes and has been incorrectly used by the healthcare industry as a symbol for medicine – mistaken for the rod of asclepius, which has only one snake and isn’t winged. The latter is often seen on graves of doctors. A snake wrapped around a cross can symbolize the Masonic brazen serpent, a symbol of the 25th Degree Masons, or foreshadowing of Christ’s crucifixion.

Clasping Hands

(image via: RPM)

A loved one may be gone, but those they left behind often have hopes of seeing them again someday, as represented by clasping hands on a grave. Symbolizing unity even after death, it’s often depicted on the shared graves of spouses.

Flying Hourglass

(image via: sean, todd mecklem)

‘Time flies’ and death comes too soon for many, as symbolized by an hourglass with wings. In the early 18th century, it wasn’t unusual for the dead to be buried with an actual hourglass to represent the sands of time having run out. In Masonic symbolism, it’s often paired with the scythe, another emblem of how easy it is to sever the boundary between life and death.

Inverted Torch

(images via: jpmatth, godutchbaby)

Inverting a torch would typically extinguish the flame, so when it’s seen on graves with the flames still burning, it represents eternal life.

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The Language Of Death 15 Gravestone Symbols Explained

Abandon faith all ye who enter here… and in the case of these 8 amazing abandoned churches, don’t even bother entering as faith, hope & charity left long ago.

Spaca Moskalyk – Alberta, Canada

(images via: Darren Kirby, John Lucas, Edmonton Journal and Ray van der Woning/Photographi-ca)

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church (known as Spaca Moskalyk), located in northern Alberta, Canada, was built in 1924 and stands 20 meters (about 66 feet) tall. The wood-framed and partially boarded-up building is definitely showing its age and the unstable soil below isn’t helping. By October of 2011, concerns about the church’s safety and estimated costs of $400,000 to $775,000 to rectify the problems forced parish members to consider the most economical solution: salvaging anything useful and burning the gutted church to the ground.

(image via: Hong Kong Photographic)

Publicity over the plight of Spaca Moskalyk has (as of December 2013) postponed its fiery fate several times while kinder options are entertained. Meanwhile, photographers alerted to the possible loss of an historic icon of western Canada’s pioneer spirit have rushed to preserve the site’s oft-haunting beauty. One of these is Flickr user Randall van der Woning whose image appears above.

St Remigius’ Church – Testerton, England

(images via: Geograph, Adrian S Pye and Norfolk Churches)

Norfolk in eastern England is home to a remarkable number of severely overgrown and abandoned (obviously) churches. Some, like St Remigius’ Church in Testerton, are all that remains of medieval villages themselves abandoned in the chaotic time of the English Reformation almost 500 years ago. A curious parallel can be made with rediscovered Mayan cities long-overtaken and disguised by jungle vines and vegetation; surprising indeed considering these relics are located within a reasonable drive out of London!

Abandoned Church – Bidong Island, Malaysia

(images via: I Am Bidong, Neil Ta and Ee Lin Wan)

Between 1975 and 1991, the tiny (1 square kilometer) Malaysian island of Pulau Bidong became a transit camp for refugees from the Vietnam War. As many as 250,000 “boat people” passed through so-called “Hell Island” and the population peaked at a staggering 40,000! In 1991 the camp was closed, with the last 9,000 or so refugees forcibly repatriated to Vietnam.

(image via: HENG FU MING)

While Malaysian authorities have allowed nature to gradually restore the island to its original state, many reminders of the refugee era remain. Flickr user HENG FU MING brings us the eerie image above of a ramshackle yet lovingly crafted church slowly moldering away in the tropical heat and humidity.

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Out Of Services 8 More Amazing Abandoned Churches