NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville First Baptist Church is providing an additional photo stop for tourists and locals alike on Broadway with the addition of five Joel Anderson Spirit of Nashville prints on their Broadway-facing wall.
The addition to the brick wall comes as the church readies to celebrate 200 years in downtown Nashville in 2020.
“Our congregation has loved being part of the fabric of downtown Nashville for our entire life, for 200 years, we’ve been right here," said senior pastor Frank Lewis.
Lewis added that the prints from Anderson, who was previously a member of the congregation, help tell the story of the church's time downtown.
“With so many tourists coming to Nashville looking for that perfect shot or some of the Nashville memorabilia, we thought that Joel Anderson prints of the spirit of Nashville would make a wonderful gift to say, 'Hey, you can come here and take a picture of some of the beautiful artwork that’s here in our city, and it tells our story.'”
The prints also give the church more visibility, with people walking by not just admiring and taking photos of the art, but also reading the historic marker talking about the church and possibly learning more about the church in between pictures.
“Even on the day of it’s installation, people were saying, hey, do you mind taking my picture?” Lewis said, adding that he hopes it could help bring some people into the church to learn about their congregation and possibly find a church community that can help lift their lives.“If the church is doing this to reach out to the community, then maybe there’s something inside that church family that would be a meaningful connection for me too."
The church hopes to install lights to illuminate the prints at night so people can take pictures no matter what time of day they're walking down Broadway in between 6th anve 7th.
