Because Lee Ann had to spend several days on our trip working for her sister, answering phones accessing the business' website, I had a good chunk of time to roam on my own taking pictures.
I visited 10 churches and deemed seven of them photogenic. I present them below in roughly chronological order of them being photographed, beginning with the Grissom Campus of First Presbyterian, shown in the photo leading off the post. To view the full shoot of each church mentioned in this post, follow the link in this sentence, which takes you to the Myrtle Beach subfolder in my churches collection at SmugMug.com
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN, GRISSOM CAMPUS
I put this church first on my list even before checking into our rooms on Dec. 9. We passed it coming into town at night, and it's a striking vista at nighttime. I returned the next day to get it under mostly heavy clouds as the photos should confirm and held mild hope we'd have the opportunity to drive by it at night again, but that didn't happen. I found out later that this is the sister church to the First Presbyterian on Kings Highway, the first Myrtle Beach church I photographed several years ago. This newer and much larger campus is along Grissom Parkway, which is a few miles from the downtown area where the Kings campus is located.
Above and below: A couple more looks at the pond and fountains.
FIRST BAPTIST
Next on my list, three days later, was First Baptist on the Southside of the city. Lee Ann and I had passed this church several times on previous visits, so I made a mental note to make sure I got it this time. I took a gamble on the backlight composition (fifth photo below), but I was pleased with how it turned out.
PALMETTO POINTE CHURCH OF GOD
The congregation at Palmetto Pointe Church of Christ moved into this striking facility in 2021, increasing its auditorium capacity from 350 to 2,000 in the process. I wasn't sure I was at the right place when I first arrived, but indeed, it's the right place.
TRINITY ANGLICAN
Trinity and St. Andrew (which follows) are two more churches Lee Ann and I had passed many times over the years on our trips to Myrtle Beach because they are right on U.S. 17 (Kings Highway), the main thoroughfare in town.
I spent Dec. 17 making the big push to do the remaining churches, and I got all the ones on my list, starting with Trinity at 3000 N. Kings Highway.
ST. ANDREW CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SCHOOL
I happened upon this church and school just before some students were released for the day over the noon hour. As I reached the backside, my timing proved unfortunate in that respect, because that's just when the children starting exiting the rear doors. I put my camera down to wait until they all dispersed.
A teacher or teacher's aide noticed me and walked over and asked me a familiar question: "Can I help you?" I told her I was there just to photograph the church and school structure and not any children. I also told her -- as I said to the Pelicans staffer a couple days earlier at TicketReturn.com Ballpark -- that I would be out of there in short order. Which again was true. The backside of the church was the last composition I needed. Or wanted. I did get that shot before leaving and heading to the next church; it's the last in this section.
MYRTLE BEACH CHURCH OF CHRIST
I remember this stop well. At some point midway through the shoot, I began to feel stings on the arch of my ankle, and I looked down to see a batch of fire ants crawling around there. I was bit three or four times, and the red marks are still there ... some three weeks later.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST GREEK ORTHODOX
To be honest, I'm not sure which side of this complex the congregation regards as its front. Even though the lead-off photo above faces the U.S. 17 bypass, I think the opposite side (see first photo below, which is closest to the parking lot) is the front because it's where its members enter the building. But I liked the photo of this side a little better, which is why I chose it to lead with. The congregation has a large separate building on the campus (see sixth photo below) that I would presume it uses for non-service gatherings and socializing and the like. The eighth photo below, taken from the bypass side of the campus, puts both structures into perspective.
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