On a recent group walking tour of historical Philadelphia, we came to Christ Church. Founded in 1695, this house of worship continues to hold services and in fact hasn’t missed a Sunday service in more than a hundred years. After walking the streets of Philadelphia for the past two hours, we welcomed the chance to sit for a few moments to listen to our tour guide.
Two things about the pews stood out to me. First, the spacious pew that I’d selected for my respite had actually been the family pew of a certain fellow gentlemen of historical significance… George Washington.
Second, we learned that the way that the church raised money was that families actually rented their pews.
Upon hearing this, I applied my personal experience and asked our host… Did the pews in the back cost the most?