Temple of Israel
(NOTE: This article is excerpted from the current issue of our bi-monthly magazine, Congregational Libraries Today.)
With its dramatic Liberty Bridge, beautiful Falls Park, vibrant downtown, and proximity to the mountains, Greenville, South Carolina, the site of CSLA’s annual conference, is a great city to enjoy.
There’s more to Greenville, however, than you might discover on your own, so your conference planning committee is offering guided trips to four places that the locals think you, as a CSLA member, will especially enjoy.
On Friday night, July 18, prior to the official opening of the conference, you have the opportunity to attend the evening service at Temple of Israel, an active temple that serves as the center of Reform Judaism in upstate South Carolina. It has a childhood education center and employs a full-time education director. Transportation to and from the Temple will be provided for a modest fee ($5). Be sure to reserve your spot on the bus by indicating your interest on the registration form facing page 17.
On Saturday morning, July 19, CSLA will provide a bus tour to two impressive places. The first stop on the tour will be the Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery, which is renowned for its collection of religious art, sculpture, and biblical artifacts, including major works by Peter Paul Rubens, Jacopo Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Bartolome Esteben Murillo, Jusepe de Ribera, and Anthony van Dyck. The cultural history of Western Europe is beautifully traced through thirty galleries and over four hundred works of art.
Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, home to a vibrant congregation in downtown Greenville, will be the tour’s second stop. The cathedral’s fascinating icons—rooted in the Orthodox tradition—form the “visual gospel, representing significant people and events in Church history.”
Lunch is included for tour participants. Be sure to reserve your place on the tour ($30) using the registration form on page 16.
On Tuesday afternoon, July 22, just after the conference officially ends, you can join an optional tour into nearby North Carolina ($25). Your CSLA bus will deliver you to Carl Sandburg’s home, Connemara, now a national historic site in Flat Rock, North Carolina. You can tour the house, which remains as it was at Sandburg’s death, including orange crates that served as a desk and boxes that became filing cabinets. You can also visit the barn, bookstore, and audio/visual room or just experience the beauty and serenity of the Front Lake. The barnyard area is stocked with goats like the ones Mrs. Sandburg bred and raised.
The tour to Carl Sandburg’s home in picturesque Flat Rock will make for a peaceful but stimulating conclusion to your days at the CSLA conference. Just remember that if you’d like to make the trip to North Carolina, you need to indicate that on your registration form. [Click here to download Registration Form.]