Goshen Church Part of Exhibit: Sacred Places, Civic Places

GOSHEN – “How can historic sacred places support civic engagement, social cohesion and neighborhood equity?”
That was the question which drove the Philadelphia-based Community Design Collaborative and associated Partners for Sacred Places to develop an exhibition of “national best practices” concerning the nexus of sacred places and civic spaces.
“The exhibition will highlight the interaction between historic sacred places and communities,” according to the exhibition website.
The Church of St. Babs, housed in a 108-year-old religious structure in Goshen, has announced in a release that it was selected to be part of the exhibition. 
Since his purchase of the former Goshen United Methodist Church building and cemetery in January 2017, Will Keenan has said that civic involvement, especially built around the arts, was a major goal of his new church.
He and the church congregation will have the opportunity to show how they seek to use the historic building as a center for civic engagement.
A formal opening of the exhibit is to be held June 5 at the Center of Architecture and Design on Arch Street in Philadelphia. The exhibition will be on display from June 1 to July 31.
The exhibition promises to display “how to activate underutilized historic sacred properties in ways that expand the civic commons, serve a larger secular purpose, and strengthen communities.”
The Center for Architecture and Design website states that this is part of a multi-year exploration of the topic.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.