Monday, January 10, 2011

The bright red roof of the Onyx Landmark Missionary Baptist Church commands your attention as you round the first curve entering Onyx, Arkansas. The church and a few scattered residences are about the crop for Onyx, but what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in quality.

It is patently obvious that the church is an object of community affection. It has a well equipped playground which portends well for any church these days. They are nurturing the next generation of members. The grounds are neat and the roof — it looks new — is metal. Since the roof is the downfall of many an old building, the members are right with the times to preserve their building for another 103 years.

The building was first constructed in 1908 as a school Then in 1918, in an example of "multi-tasking" decades before the now worn-out phrase was coined, the structure came to house the Onyx Landmark Missionary Baptist Church.

The faithful who attend church services, meetings, and events must negotiate a low-water bridge to get to the church on time. The bridge passes through a small "branch" and serves as the the only entrance road to the church. In the picture, the "branch" looks docile, but in these parts, after a heavy rain, small streams can become raging torrents.

Church attendees must negotiate this low water bridge on the only entrance road. It looks calm here, but can get "wet and wild" during heavy rains.

A low-water bridge in its basic form is pavement perpendicular to a streambed, which allows vehicles to cross without getting stuck. The pavement of some low-water bridges may extend a few inches to a few feet above the stream bed. Both versions have this commonality: At times, the bridge is completely submersed and impassable to most vehicles.

The church and its congregation at Onyx clearly demonstrate that the concept of taking care of your own is alive and well. Since they've been at it for more than a century, they have developed some life lessons for the rest of us to consider.

N O T E S:  
Nikon D300 Tripod mount, ISO 200 on church picture, Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6, EX DC HSM, 1/160@f6.3; Low-water and sign shots, Hand-held, ISO 200, AF S Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 G ED VR, 1/250@f9 and 1/100@f5.3 respectively. Post processed with Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended and Perfect Resize 7 Professional.

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